Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, August 28, 2026 at 06:56 AM

Indonesia targets priority lake restoration for water security

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Prisca, Kenzu

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Environment Minister Moh Jumhur Hidayat expressed the government's commitment to accelerating the restoration and protection of lake ecosystems in Indonesia to guarantee water, food, and energy security.

In a statement on Friday, Hidayat said World Lake Day 2026, commemorated every August 27, marks a crucial moment to save inland water ecosystems.

"Lakes are not merely bodies of water, but a source of life sustaining food, energy, and water security, tourism, carbon absorption, and microclimate stabilization, while serving as centers of community culture," he said.

However, Hidayat noted thousands of lakes face heavy pressure from widespread environmental degradation.

This degradation stems from damaged water catchment areas, converted buffer zones, pollution, eutrophication, excessive floating net cage (KJA) operations, weed infestations, invasive fish species, and heavy siltation causing severe shallowing.

Because lakes feature long water retention times, restoration requires an extended timeframe and a consistent upstream-to-downstream strategy.

"The lake restoration process requires considerable time and demands an integrated upstream-downstream approach that can no longer be delayed," the minister said.

As a concrete step, the Ministry of Environment, alongside regional governments, is optimizing the Ecosystem Protection and Management Plan (RPPE) for 15 National Priority Lakes from 2025 to 2029.

This policy focuses on improving water quality, controlling pollution, zoning floating net cages, rehabilitating catchment areas, managing weeds, protecting endemic species, and aligning regional spatial plans.

The ministry established three core commitments for future policy: strengthening national and regional protection regulations, expanding cross-sector collaboration, and elevating lakes within the global water agenda.

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