Membangun Peradaban Bersama Rakyat

A line of “sea convoy” of traditional fishing boats circled 2 mother boats carrying a giant banner that reads rejection of PLTU with non-environmentally friendly fuel in Teluk Aru, Langkat. | Photo: #CleanIndonesia Coalition

Medanbusinessdaily.com-Medan. The Srikandi Lestari Foundation together with organizations of environmental observers and activists as well as communities on the east coast of Langkat carried out a creative campaign in the waters of Teluk Aru, in Sei Siur Village, Pangkalan Susu District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, Saturday (22/6/2019). In the action, which started at around 09.00 WIB until the afternoon, around 120 fishermen and a combination of civil society in North Sumatra carried out a procession (sea convoy) of approximately 30 traditional fishing boats and motor boats.

Campaign participants also took action with a giant (9 X 7.5 meter) span spanning the words rejection of the Pangkalan Susu Coal PLTU and urging the government to stop the use of fossil energy which can have very bad consequences and damage the environment.

The global environmental campaign with the theme #CleanIndonesia is also held in a series to commemorate World Environment Day (HLHS) which falls every June 5.

During the campaign there were also speeches delivered by the Director of the Srikandi Lestari Foundation, Sumiati Surbakti and Quadi Azam from BITRA Indonesia, a talk show with NET.tv and the Langkat YouTuber community on the water with speakers Rusdiana Adi from BITRA Indonesia and from LBH Medan. Other activities that were all carried out on water/sea were theatrical, reading environmental poetry, and ended with an investigation from all participants about the impact of the PLTU on the waters of Pulau Sembilan, Pulau Kampai and other affected communities around the PLTU Pangkalan Susu.

“This energy should be replaced with new and renewable energy that is clean and environmentally friendly. We also encourage the government to immediately make a fair energy transition and release the dependence of the energy and electricity system on dirty coal energy,” Sumiati said in a written statement received by Medanbisnisdaily.com.

Sumiati, who in the campaign was the coordinator of the action, said that dependence on coal had a negative impact on all sectors. The existence of coal-fired power plants reduces the level of health, destroys people’s economic productivity and damages the environment.

However, said Sumiati, in Indonesia this problem is not counted by the state as a social disaster. Throughout the first quarter of 2019, he explained, the distribution of coal to the PLTU reached 23 million tons. This amount is equivalent to 23.95% of the target for coal distribution to PLTU this year.

“The government’s ambition to build a 35,000 megawatt PLTU is also very vulnerable to corruption and bribery centered on power plants in Indonesia,” said Mimi, Sumiati’s nickname.

Research published by Greenpeace Indonesia, he explained, said that coal-fired power plants were estimated to have caused 6,500 premature deaths every year. With the plan to build a new coal-fired power plant, this death toll could reach 28,300 people every year.

“From upstream to downstream, the health, environmental and social costs of coal mining are not taken into account which in the end must be borne by the people. Health costs from coal power plants, for example, reach IDR 351 trillion per year. Therefore, Indonesia needs serious steps to stop the use of coal. fossil energy, especially coal and switch to the use of renewable energy that is clean and environmentally friendly by 2025,” he said.

According to Mimi, Sumatra is currently on the verge of ecological collapse, as the estuary of the voracious use of coal’s dirty energy. Relying energy sources from coal is the wrong way, it will certainly have a negative impact on the safety of the environment and the living things in it.

He emphasized that the Pangkalan Susu Coal Power Plant with a capacity of 2 times 200 megawatts, resulted in widespread deforestation of mangroves, soil erosion, loss of water sources, air pollution and produced millions of tons of toxic waste.

For this reason, the joint committee of the 2019 North Sumatra HLHS, calls for the government to commit to shifting from dirty coal energy to clean renewable energy, and to dare to stop coal dirty energy projects that make people miserable.

Along with the momentum of the HLHS Celebration, #CleanIndonesia invites all elements of the Indonesian people to encourage the realization of the ideals of “Indonesia is energy sovereign by encouraging the development of renewable energy, leaving dependence on dirty coal energy, improving energy and electricity management that upholds the principles of accountability, transparency and public participation, as well as law enforcement in all cases that result in environmental damage.

A number of environmental observers and activists as well as communities on the east coast of Langkat who are involved in the creative campaign for the celebration of HLHS North Sumatra are Srikandi Lestari Langkat Foundation, East Coast Coastal Community Alliance (AMPPT), Langkat, All Indonesian Fishermen Association (HNSI) Langkat, Suara Teluk Aru (STAR) FM Pangkalan Brandan, Indonesian Rural Skills Development (BITRA) Medan, Community Forest Institute (HaRI) Medan, Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) North Sumatra, North Sumatra Indonesian People’s Struggle Agency, LBH Medan, Ate Keleng Sibolangit Foundation, North Sumatra Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Association, Sada Ahmo Medan Association, Binjai Langkat People’s Union (Serbila) and Sei Siur Bersatu Women’s Group (KP), Indah Lestari KP, Lubuk Kertang, Maju Jaya KP, Water Gate and Fisherman Farmer Group (KTN), Pulau Sembilan.

Reporter/Editor: SASLI PRANOTO SIMARMATA

Source: http://www.medanbisnisdaily.com/