The physical features clearly show the figure of a dashing man standing. Seen monitoring and intervening to check every inch of the wooden beams, moving hands examine and ensure the solid foundation of the partition. The man is Sarianto (48) who is the leader of the canal blocking construction activities as well as the KPSHK Technical Officer (TO).
The last large fires that occurred in 2015 and 2019 in forest areas and gardens belonging to the community were an experience for Sarianto, especially since in 2023 a forest and land fire occurred in Kahayan Hilir District. https://kpshk.org/pasukan-elit-kahayan-hilir-menangani-bencana-karhutla/
The Integrated Peat Forest Ecosystem Management Program (PTEHG) in Kahayan Hilir District is one of the programs run by KPSHK. The activity location is in the 4 Village Forest (HD) area which is a peat ecosystem area. KPSHK with the PTEHG program, carries out several activities to restore the peat ecosystem. One of them is the construction of canal blocks to prevent and extinguish forest and land fires.
“Reflecting on the experience of forest and land fires that occurred in 2023, even if there is a patrol team that has complete equipment or machines, it will be useless if there is no availability of water, especially if conditions are in the dry season,” explained Sarianto, remembering the forest and land fire incident that occurred last year.
Sarianto added that water needs to be dammed so that it can be stored so that during the dry season or forest fires occur at least the availability of water can help extinguish the fire. A canal block is a water retaining structure built in the body of a canal or ditch with the aim of reducing the rate of outflow and maintaining and/or increasing water storage in the canal body and the surrounding area. The working principle of canal blocking is to hold and store water as long as possible within the Peat Hydrological Unit (KHG) area.
“Before the construction of a canal block, a planning document for the construction of a canal block is needed, one of the contents of which is the creation of a Detailed Engineering Design (DED),” said Sarianto
Sarianto stated that preparation activities for the construction of canal blocking were also carried out evaluation activities related to canal blocking that had been built before the PTEHG program was implemented. The evaluation in question is the effectiveness of canal blocking construction in predetermined locations, the shape/type of canal blocking, materials and materials used in constructing canal blocking.
“Analysis of the effectiveness of canal blocking before the PTEHG program was carried out by experts in 4 village forests,” said Sarianto
After the results of the effectiveness analysis, preparations for the construction of the canal blocking continued with determining the location according to the survey results and then forming a canal blocking team. The team involved in building the canal blocking was 7 people per village, each village had a team leader but Sarianto was still responsible for leading 4 teams from the communities of 4 villages.
“Once the team has been formed, the next step is training in material and practice in building canal blocks, starting with work instructions, the shape of canal blocks, etc.,” said Sarianto
Determination of the construction location is based on survey results and suggestions from the LPHD Chair and the community, adjusted to the conditions at the location. According to Sarianto, on average construction takes 4 – 10 days per village depending on the width of the canal blocking. Sarianto said that currently, there are two canal blocks that have been completed in Gohong Village, namely Sei Hantupa and Sei Ulin, Mantaren Village has one point in Sei Sala, Buntoi Village has two points, in the Main Tertiary Canal (STI) and Sei Asem (Boundary). other use areas and production forests). The next plan to build a canal block in Buntoi is Sei Asem (border of production forest and village forest).
“The construction materials used Benuas wood measuring 5 x 10 m and boards measuring 2 x 20 m. “Benuas wood or Bengkirai wood is a typical Kalimantan wood that is durable and long-lasting,” explained Sarianto
While taking part in assisting the construction of the canal blocking, Sarianto discovered one obstacle that occurred during construction in Sei Sala, Mantaren I Village. This obstacle was the current being too fast and the water being deep due to the rainy season. The large currents occur because Sei Sala is a place or center for water to gather. However, this can still be controlled by waiting for the water flow to decrease and doing this by adding supports (beams) so that the foundation does not collapse or is strong. Every canal block that has been built must be planted with trees. Trees can absorb water so that the surrounding environment can be maintained.
According to Sarianto, monitoring is not just looking without taking action, but also observing every detail while construction is being carried out. Carefully check every wooden beam and board that will be used. This includes regularly monitoring completed canal blocking and observing water discharge before and after construction.
Writer : Alma
Editor : Aris Mawanto
Source :
https://kpshk.org/pasukan-elit-kahayan-hilir-menangani-bencana-karhutla
Sarianto as Technical Officer for Rehabilitation and Conservation of KPSHK
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