Living Harmoniously in the Jatigede Greenbelt

KOMPAS/DEDI MUHTADI

Residents in a number of villages in the hills of Cimanuk watershed areas in Cibugel district, Sumedang regency, West Java, voluntarily plant trees, especially white teak. Aside from giving benefits as the trees are fast growing, it helps strengthen the green belt areas for nearby Jatigede dam. The trees can grow to 30 centimeters in diameter in five years with prices reaching Rp 2 million each. The residents mostly plant the trees around their corn farms.

The Jatigede Reservoir management should be grateful to the residents of Cibugel, Sumedang regency, West Java. Those living in the foothills of the Masigit-Kareumbi Mountain have been voluntarily managing 2,500 to 3,000 hectares of the Cimanuk River watershed, the source of water flowing to the Jatigede Dam.

The sawmill business has suddenly mushroomed in Cibugel district, which is a greenbelt of the Jatigede Reservoir in Sumedang. Last year, only three sawmills were there, but the number jumped to 10 this year in the farm areas owned by villagers in the foothills of the Masigit-Kareumbi Mountain.