River Restoration: A New Beginning

Sustainability efforts entail spiritual connection with a deity as a token of respect to the nature, an “almighty owner”, through a ritual that has long been abandoned by many Dayaks.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

A family in Palangkaraya City performs the traditional ritual 'Nyelu Tehat' which means expressing gratitude for what was obtained in the past year and asking for blessings for the new year. The ritual was carried out on the banks of the Kahayan River near the Kahayan Bridge, Palangkaraya City, Central Kalimantan, Saturday (1/1/2022).

In 2021, Central Kalimantan was hit hard by repeated floods. It sent an alarm about the urgent need to heed the increasingly fragile environment, starting with protecting rivers, which are in critical situations.

Ramang, 36, a resident of Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, took some of his family members to the Kahayan River on Saturday (1/1/2022) morning.