Dettiknews.com – Jakarta, Yayasan Pecinta Danau Toba/ The Lake Toba Lovers Foundation (YPDT) has delivered sharp criticism regarding the development of the Lake Toba Area/ Kawasan Danau Toba (KDT) during President Joko Widodo’s 10-year leadership. While acknowledging significant progress in infrastructure development, Yayasan Pecinta Danau Toba (YPDT) assesses that the overall development report card for KDT remains red, particularly in the tourism, environment, and human resources (HR) development sectors.
Yayasan Pecinta Danau Toba (YPDT) notes that public support in the KDT region for President Jokowi is substantial, evidenced by the consistently high votes received in the 2014 and 2019 elections. In return, Jokowi has given special attention to infrastructure development in KDT, including toll roads, the Samosir Island ring road, and the modernization of crossing facilities.
“Infrastructure development is indeed pleasing to the people,” YPDT wrote in the executive summary of their critical notes. However, the foundation regrets that this massive infrastructure development is not balanced by progress in other sectors that are crucial to the success of KDT as a super-priority tourism destination.
One of YPDT’s main concerns is the minimal number of foreign tourist visits to Lake Toba, despite its upgraded status as a super-priority tourism destination. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that the number of foreign tourists arriving in North Sumatra, the majority of whom aim for Lake Toba, is still far below pre-COVID-19 pandemic figures, even significantly lower compared to Bali, which is not a super-priority destination.
Beyond the tourism sector, YPDT also highlights the increasingly severe environmental damage in KDT. Floods and landslides repeatedly occur in various regencies around Lake Toba, indicating poor environmental governance. The water quality of Lake Toba continues to deteriorate due to pollution from floating net cages (KJA) and domestic waste. Ironically, in 2021, the government even had to conduct artificial rain to maintain the water discharge of Lake Toba.
“There is no concrete policy from President Jokowi or Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, a Batak native, to improve the water quality of Lake Toba,” YPDT criticized.
Agrarian conflicts between companies and indigenous communities and environmentalists are also a significant note from YPDT. Additionally, the food estate project in Humbang Hasundutan Regency, which cost hundreds of billions of rupiah, is also considered a failure.
Overall, YPDT gives a score of 2.75 (out of a scale of 1-10) for the KDT development report card during Jokowi’s 10-year era, which means “red”. The following are YPDT’s evaluation points:
- Infrastructure Progresses Rapidly, But Not Yet Optimal
YPDT acknowledges significant progress in transportation connectivity in KDT, especially the construction of toll roads that shorten travel time from Medan to Lake Toba. The construction of the Samosir Island ring road and the modernization of crossing facilities are also appreciated. However, YPDT emphasizes the importance of good governance in sustainable infrastructure development, especially in land acquisition that intersects with customary land.
- Environmental Damage is Increasingly Worrying
Flash floods and landslides that frequently hit KDT are clear evidence of severe environmental damage. YPDT highlights disasters in Simangulampe, Simarhompa, Kenegerian Sihotang, Dolok Simarsolpah, and Tongging as examples of the adverse impacts of forest and environmental destruction around Lake Toba.
- Lake Toba Water Quality Continues to Decline
YPDT highlights the declining water quality of Lake Toba due to domestic waste and KJA. The foundation also highlights upstream forest destruction that causes natural disasters and drought, necessitating artificial rain to maintain lake water discharge. YPDT assesses that the government has not been serious in controlling KJA and addressing forest destruction by large companies.
- Human Resources Neglected, Hospitality Minimal
YPDT assesses that the central government is too focused on physical infrastructure development and neglects HR development in the tourism sector. Quality service (hospitality) is still very minimal in KDT, which is a major obstacle in realizing Lake Toba as a world-class tourist destination. YPDT regrets the lack of awareness among local communities regarding the importance of excellent service in the tourism industry.
- Lake Toba Authority Agency (BODT) Deemed a Failure
Yayasan Pecinta Danau Toba (YPDT) considers BODT to have failed to carry out its mandate to advance the entire Lake Toba region. BODT is considered to only focus on concession land in Sibisa and does not have an adequate budget to effectively implement its programs. Land conflicts with communities also continue in the BODT concession area.
YPDT’s critical notes serve as an important reminder that KDT development over the past 10 years is still far from expectations. Although infrastructure has been magnificently built, fundamental problems such as environmental damage, poor water quality, low quality of tourism HR, and agrarian conflicts have not been resolved. YPDT urges the government to be more serious and comprehensive in developing KDT, not only focusing on physical development, but also on environmental preservation, improving HR quality, and resolving agrarian conflicts to realize Lake Toba as a sustainable world-class tourism destination that provides tangible benefits for local communities.
(DH.L/Red.)
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