Development Aspects Impressum Editors

The proposal

The catchment area of Sereng River Basin is mostly located in Bendosari Village, Pujon District, Malang Regency. Bendosari Village lies in a mountainous and high- land area. The village area is approximately 269 ha, of which there are 31 ha of settlement area with the rest dryland and rain-fed rice fields. The village is divided into five Dusun (sub-villages), namely: Dusun Cukal, Dusun Dadapan Wetan, Du- sun Dadapan Kulon, Dusun Ngeprih and Dusun Tretes.

Bendosari Village has a population of approximately 3,858 people and most of their occupations are mainly related to the agriculture sector. The life philosophy of the people of Bendosari is reflected in their slogan stated in the Javanese lan- guage: “Rumangsa Melu Handarbeni, Rumangsa Melu Hangrukebi, Mulat Sariro Hangrasa Wani” which means “thinking about how the village can be developed, advanced and be independent to become self-sufficient villages” (see http://ben- dosari.wordpress.com/).
Jasa Tirta I Public Corporation, in cooperation with the Bendosari Village Gov- ernment, has conducted many previous activities in order to promote people’s awareness of a healthy and sustainable environment in Bendosari Village under the initiative of promoting a “Green Village”. The basic concept of a Green Village here is to increase environmental sustainability through a master plan, consisting of wa- tershed conservation through reforestation, development of erosion control struc- tures and environmental improvement by developing healthy animal husbandry that include recycling the solid waste from dairy farming to biogas production.
Owing to the flooding that occurred in early 2010, the watershed improve- ment activities were conducted more intensively by conducting regreening activi-

ties and building check dams and gully plugs. These structures are intended to prevent the deposition of sediment carried by the river directly into the Selorejo Reservoir. Other activities were also conducted such as community-based bio- monitoring (participatory water quality monitoring using water insects) to increase community awareness of environmental conditions. This activity was conducted in cooperation with the non-governmental organization (NGO) ECOTON (Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation).

The Bendosari Green Village Concept is expected to be the pilot project for other areas in the Brantas River Basin, especially in the upstream reach of the basin. The National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) has shown interest in expanding the Bendosari Green Village Concept to other areas within the Republic of Indonesia but with adaptations to suit the specific needs of the other areas.

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