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J. Impact of Tourism

Tourism is developing rapidly near Rawa Pening. This appears at present to be largely tourism for Indonesians, to meet Indonesian expectations. Restaurants have been built near the lake shore in the last 10 years, and offer a wide range of opportunities for eating and relaxation. A large land area is now committed to meeting the needs of tourists or day visitors. Much of this new development has resulted in the creation of areas of concrete, large roof surfaces, paths, and parking areas. All of these will lead to faster run-off from the land surface near the lake.

Many tourists come by bus or private car. These use the parking areas, but also depend on petrol stations and bus terminals. Such specialised facilities have large areas of concrete, on which considerable quantities of oil, petrol, and similar organic chemicals are deposited. Tourism also depends on the existence of an extensive network of roads in the catchment. From these too, oil, petrol and other synthetic chemicals will be washed into the lake after storms. There is a noticeable accumulation of plastic "Aqua" bottles, soft drink cartons and cans along the lake shore and in rivers flowing into the lake. Much of this can be attributed to tourists.

The tourism authorities have started to develop tourist facilities along the shore of the lake, such as Bukit Cinta. These are well managed but the impact of concentrated tourism leads inevitably to the loss of grass cover and increased soil erosion. This is also happening near the hotels and restaurants which have been built on the shore.

The swimming pool at Muncul can be seen as a tourist facility. It is well managed and does not cause any significant impact on the ecosystem. The water for the pool comes from a spring and eventually flows into the lake. It seems likely that more swimming pools like Muncul may develop in the future.

In all the types of tourist-oriented developments listed here, one aspect poses a problem. It appears that there is no centralised system for sewage treatment. Sewage treatment appears to be by means of septic tank systems of various kinds. These inevitably lead to the accumulation of phosphates, nitrates, and other chemicals such as sodium chloride in the ground, from which they may be leached at a later date. As the clay in the soil near the septic tanks becomes saturated with such chemicals, additional soluble material is not absorbed and there is an increased probability that the material may leach into the ground water and from there to the lake.

The management of ground water quality is complex. Ground water contaminated with sewage effluent contains bacteria and viruses as well as chemicals. Infiltration of waste water into superficial sediments can frequently lead to overfill of "soak away" systems and the development of surface flows, particularly in heavy clay oils when there is intense rain. The soils round the edge of Rawa Pening are heavy clay soils. The area is subjected to heavy rainfalls at certain seasons. So there is a danger that surface flows direct to the lake may occur carrying bacteria and viruses along with chemical plant nutrients such as phosphates and nitrogenous compounds. If the ground water becomes contaminated with sewage effluent it can act as a source of bacteria and viruses for many years, as some bacteria from waste water are thought to be able to live for over 5 years in soil (Romero 1970). Many parasites other than bacteria and viruses can be transmitted in this way. Table 5.1 in Gutteridge et al (1977) lists 15 such parasites. Consequently, it is most important to ensure that there is no contamination of water used for human consumption. In some cases, and there are some near Rawa Pening such as the village of Candirejo, bore hole water is used domestically. Such bore water can become contaminated if appropriate precautions are not taken to ensure that ground water used for domestic consumption is filtered through the soil. Care must be taken to prevent any surface contamination of the well or bore hole. Details of actual cases of utilisation of waste water after treatment by injection as ground water are given by Gutteridge et al (1977) and the dangers of surface flow of sewage effluent are dealt with by IAWPR (1978)

This is a very bad situation as it would be very difficult to correct this type of problem after it has developed. Once the material has accumulated in the soil it is difficult to remove it, without removing a considerable volume of soil.

There is a need for greater environmental awareness among some tourists and among the tourism authorities. There is an urgent need to deal with the problem of disposal of sewage in the immediate vicinity of the lake. There is a need for some attempt to control run-off from roads and parking areas and to attempt to ensure that such run-off does not contaminate the lake.

It was not possible to obtain any information on future developments and future plans for tourism in the catchment from the local authorities in Salatiga. No mention was made of any plans to deal with the development of tourism in the area. There was no indication that the tourism authorities were in any way concerned about Rawa Pening nor was there any indication that they considered that tourism could have an adverse impact on the lake.

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