Tambora – Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering

wolfgang Piecha from GERMANY writes:

From May 21 to May 25 I made an expedition to the base of the Tambora crater. I was with a group of twelve, mainly young graduates from Bima College.

I flew in to Bima, because the people that have been into the crater mainly live there. After 6 hours drive from the airport we arrived at the coffee plantation above Pancasila (800m above sea level). From here the trail starts and I stayed overnight in the nice guest house. At this altitude there are no mosquitoes. Next day we started at 7 am and built camp at 5 pm at Pos V (at 2.300m), just below the tree-line, which is quite low at Tambora. Next morning we started at sunrise to reach the rim (2.650m) at 8.30 am. Tambora as it stands now, after the eruption in 1815, is the base of a former 4.100m (or so) giant, so only the last stretch between Pos V and the rim was somewhat steep.

When we arrived at the rim to reach the entry point into the caldera we turned left,. So, on this western edge of the crater we walked some 1.000m north, close to the peak, left, that is opposite to the real peak, which we had left behind on our right. The trail downhill generally followed two historic landslides which today are stable and partly overgrown. It ended just 1.200m below the point where trekkers coming from Pos V usually enjoy their view on Tambora crater, at 1.450m.

In large parts the trail downhill had an inclination of 35 to 40 degrees. But nearly half of the trail has 45 up to 50 degrees and these are not solid rock but different lose materials. Here the only firm grips for our hands often were only bushes and grass, whereas Edelweiss did not hold. The first stop we had at 2.250m, in a granite formation at a place called Pos Wadunae. Here we found fresh water. After this point we kept right-hand and entered one of the steepest parts of the whole trail. While ropes nowhere else are really indispensable (except as a precautionary measure) here each of us hung on the rope for two meters or so. Whenever we came to a junction from here we should have kept right, but did so only on the way uphill, two days later. Instead, on one of those junctions we took the left option, so we had a very steep and rocky way downhill on our last 400m, which belonged to the steepest of the whole way. This detour cost us one hour extra and we arrived at the crater base at sunset, at 6 pm, 12 hours after we left Pos V.

We camped two nights on the crater base, at the sandy banks of a small creek, between a lot of big debris. The crater lake, at the lowest point in the east, was already starting to dry up (as was our creek) end of May, but still measured 800 by 800 meters. Two other creeks, further to the east, had much more water. Fumaroles were ejecting white steam at many places all around the crater theatre that measures some 6,5 by 6,5 km. They flag the border line between the (horizontal) cold and rocky cap on the giant magma chamber under our feet and the (vertical) crater walls – with one exception. That is the area around Doro Api Toi, the mini crater in the south-eastern corner, 20 m high with a diameter of 100m. While this mini crater does not appear to have grown in recent years, some fumaroles sprang up in its vicinity, making even the water of a creek passing the area boil. The steam fumaroles were strongest in the mornings, after sunrise, losing power during the day.

We packed tents before sunrise after the second night to start our climb at 6 am. This time we found the best entry point immediately. Nevertheless, the first 150m were very steep, again. It took us eight and a half hours to reach the rim again. At Pos V, at 4.30 pm, our Indonesian friends had to register that the wild pigs had eaten all their rice that they had hidden on the ground. So we decided to continue our walk to the guest house of the coffee plantation through the night. We arrived there at 11.30 pm, nearly 18 hours after we started our climb on the crater base.

Remarks and recommendations:

- Plan the water resources very carefully. At the beginning of the dry season, end of May, all springs (including at Pos V) and creeks on the crater base had plenty of water. The longer the dry season the less water you will find.

- Consider plan B: in case of extended rain falls or sickness/accident you may have to stay extra days in the crater. So, take extra food with you.

- In the crater you will be incommunicado (unless you have an Iridium phone). There is no point to register, hence you will not be missed for quite a while. So, form a sufficiently big team.

- One point below Pos Wadunae at 2.250m you can only pass by hanging in a rope for two meters or so. At some other steep parts a rope is helpful as safeguard and precaution.

- A safety helmet seems advisable as your companions above may trigger stones.

- It is indispensable to take a guide and porters. I had two porters with ten kilos each. The few guides you get only in Bima. Ask Rik Stoetman for assistance. He runs two blogs, one under visitttambora, and is very cooperative. Indeed, without him I could not have made it.

Pemekaran untuk Kesejahteraan (Menimbang Pulau Sumbawa Menjadi Provinsi Baru) OPINI | 10 July 2012

Oleh : AM. Fatwa dalam Kompasiana Tgl. 19 July 2012

A. Pendahuluan

Otonomi daerah yang merupakan salah satu agenda reformasi dimaksudkan terutama untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat. Otonomi daerah merupakan konsep dekonstruktif terhadap konsep lama dalam pengelolaan daerah agar kekayaan daerah tidak tersedot ke pusat. Dengan demikian, proporsi terbesar kekayaan daerah dapat dialokasikan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan-kebutuhan rakyat di daerah.

Pembentukan daerah baru apabila dilakukan dengan niat dan pelaksanaan yang benar merupakan jaminan bagi peningkatan peran negara dalam memberikan pelayanan kepada warga negara. Sebab, secara teoritik dan ideal, pembentukan daerah otonom baru dapat mempermudah dan mempercepat akses pelayanan kepada rakyat. Oleh sebab itu, pembentukan daerah baru seharusnya tidak hanya dijadikan sebagai pembuka pintu kesempatan untuk mengejar jabatan-jabatan politik di daerah semata. Dalam hal ini, unsur-unsur kepentingan pribadi dan golongan oleh para aktor lokal hendaknya ditekan semaksimal mungkin agar tujuan pembentukan daerah baru bisa tercapai secara optimal.

Salah satu indikasi semakin meningkatnya peran negara dalam meningkatkan pelayanan kepada masyarakat adalah semakin cepat bergeraknya roda perekonomian masyarakat. Pemekaran daerah juga harus diorientasikan untuk menjawab masalah-masalah kemiskinan, ketertinggalan, kebodohan, dan praktik korupsi, kolusi, dan nepotisme (KKN).

B. Pemekaran dan Kesejahteraan

Pembentukan daerah baru harus disertai proyeksi jauh ke depan dalam jangka waktu lima sampai sepuluh tahun agar tujuan pembentukan daerah baru dapat benar-benar terwujud. Kegagalan dalam mewujudkan tujuan yang dimaksudkan, justru akan menyebabkan masyarakat semakin kecewa dan menderita. Proyeksi futuristik ini sangat perlu diperhatikan karena pada tahun-tahun pertama, daerah otonom baru memerlukan anggaran yang cukup besar untuk biaya pemerintahan, seperti pembuatan infrastruktur, pembangunan kantor, pembentukan struktur pemerintahan, dan banyak lagi kebutuhan lainnya. Pembentukan daerah baru harus memenuhi syarat administratif, teknis, dan fisik kewilayahan sebagai disebutkan dalam pasal 4 Undang-Undang nomor 32 tahun 2004 tentang Pemerintahan Daerah.

Sebuah daerah yang akan dimekarkan harus dilihat secara komprehensif tingkat kematangan atau kemampuan keuangan, rentang kendali pemerintahan, serta tingkat efisiensi dan efektivitas dalam pelayanan kepada masyarakat. Pembentukan daerah baru dengan implikasi memperpendek rentang kendali pelayanan kepada masyarakat, dimaksudkan agar pelayanan kepada masyarakat menjadi lebih baik. Pembentukan daerah baru juga dimaksudkan agar daerah dapat mengatur dan mengurus sendiri urusan pemerintahan menurut asas otonomi dan tugas pembantuan, diarahkan untuk mempercepat terwujudnya kesejahteraan melalui peningkatan pelayanan, pemberdayaan, dan peran serta masyarakat, serta peningkatan daya saing daerah dengan memperhatikan prinsip demokrasi, pemerataan, keadilan, keistimewaan dan kekhususan suatu daerah dalam sistem Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia.

Penyelenggaraan pemerintahan daerah yang dibentuk harus sesuai dengan pedoman pada asas-asas umum penyelenggaraan negara sesuai pasal 20 Undang-Undang nomor 32 tahun 2004 tentang Pemerintahan Daerah, yang terdiri atas: asas kepastian hukum, asas tertib penyelenggara negara, asas kepentingan umum, asas keterbukaan, asas proporsionalitas, asas profesionalitas, asas akuntabilitas, asas efisiensi, dan asas efektivitas.

Dalam penyelenggaraan otonomi, daerah memiliki hak dan kewajiban. Adapun hak yang dimaksudkan, antara lain adalah hak mengatur dan mengurus sendiri urusan pemerintahan, memilih pimpinan daerah, dan mengelola aparatur daerah. Sedangkan kewajiban yang harus dipenuhi, antara lain adalah melindungi masyarakat, menjaga persatuan, kesatuan, dan kerukunan nasional, serta mempertahankan keutuhan NKRI sebagaimana diamanatkan oleh pasal 22 Undang-Undang Nomor 32 tahun 2004 tentang Pemerintahan Daerah.

Pembentukan daerah otonom baru dapat dipahami untuk dilakukan dan bahkan bisa menjadi sebuah keniscayaan apabila telah terpenuhi beberapa hal penting sebagai berikut:

Pertama, tidak terdapat konflik yang disebabkan oleh batas wilayah dan penentuan ibu kota. Berkaitan dengan masalah ini, dalam pembentukan daerah baru harus telah terjadi kesepakatan antara “pihak-pihak yang berkepentingan”.

Kedua, kabupaten/kota induk serta pemerintah provinsi dari daerah yang hendak dibentuk harus mampu menyediakan dana selama tiga tahun berturut-turut untuk membiayai kegiatan pembangunan

Ketiga, ditetapkan batas waktu yang jelas mengenai serah terima aset dari daerah induk ke kabupaten/kota baru dan kejelasan pengaturan serah terima personil kepegawaian dari daerah induk kepada daerah baru. Aspek penting yang harus diperhatikan dalam pembentukan daerah baru adalah pembagian aset daerah induk kepada daerah baru, dan sebaliknya pendapatan yang hilang dari daerah induk karena hanya ada di daerah baru. Hal ini perlu mendapatkan perhatian agar pembentukan daerah baru tidak menyisakan persoalan di kemudian hari disebabkan oleh perebutan aset yang sebelumnya tidak dibicarakan dengan tuntas atau bahkan tidak pernah dibicarakan sama sekali.

Keempat, adanya keseriusan dalam konteks penjagaan perbatasan dan percepatan pembangunan pulau-pulau terluar. Hal ini penting agar pada daerah-daerah baru yang terdapat di pulau-pulau terluar tidak terjadi kerawanan dan penguasaan efektif oleh negara lain.

Yang harus diantisipasi dalam pembentukan daerah baru adalah terjadinya konflik horizontal di kalangan masyarakat daerah yang bersangkutan. Jangan sampai pembentukan daerah dilatarbelakangi dan kemudian menyisakan persoalan-persoalan yang berbau suku, agama, ras, dan antargolongan. Sebab, pembentukan daerah baru yang dilatarbelakangi dan berakibat konflik SARA akan berimplikasi kepada ketidakharmonisan antara sesama anak bangsa yang berpotensi memperlamah persatuan dan kesatuan bangsa.

Karena itu, pembentukan daerah baru harus dibarengi dengan upaya-upaya pencegahan dan peredaman konflik. Jangan sampai pembentukan daerah justru berimplikasi kontraproduktif dengan tujuan filosofisnya dan lebih dari itu berakibat fatal memperlemah integrasi nasional. Pembentukan daerah baru jangan sampai menyebabkan Indonesia pecah seperti negara-negara Balkan, tetapi sebaliknya harus memperkuat—dan meningkatkan komitmen rakyat kepada—Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia disebabkan meningkatnya kesejahteraan masyarakat karena lebih berfungsinya struktur negara bagi pencapaian kebutuhan rakyat.

C. Penutup

Pembentukan daerah baru diharapkan untuk memperbaiki tingkat kesejahteraan masyarakat dengan satu indikasi penting bergeraknya roda perekonomian yang semakin cepat. Pemekaran daerah harus dapat menjawab masalah-masalah kemiskinan, ketertinggalan, kebodohan, dan praktik korupsi, kolusi, dan nepotisme. Karena itu, unsur-unsur kepentingan pribadi dan golongan oleh para aktor lokal hendaknya ditekan semaksimal mungkin agar tujuan pembentukan daerah baru bisa tercapai secara optimal.

Pemekaran idealnya merupakan sebuah upaya untuk memaksimalkan pelayanan kepada masyarakat. Pelayanan kepada masyarakat harus dijadikan sebagai faktor utama pendorong pembentukannya dan hendaknya benar-benar diorientasikan untuk mempermudah dan mempercepat akses pelayanan kepada masyarakat. Jika Pulau Sumbawa telah dipersiapkan dengan prasyarat-prasyarat yang harus dipenuhi, maka menjadikannya sebagai daerah otonom baru, akan memberi kontribusi bagi upaya peningkatan kesejahteraan masyarakatnya. Wallahu a’lam bi al-shawab.

* Disampaikan dalam 

Menuju Provinsi Pulau Sumbawa : About Sumbawa Island

From : Wikipedia

Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumbafurther to the southeast. It is in the province of West Nusa Tenggara.

Sumbawa is 15,448 km² or 5,965 sq mi (three times the size of Lombok) with a current population of around 1.33 million. It marks the boundary between the islands to the west, which were influenced by religion and culture spreading from India, and the region to the east that was not so influenced. In particular this applies to both Hinduism and Islam.

History[edit]

Four principalities in western Sumbawa were dependencies of the Majapahit Empire of eastern Java. Because of Sumbawa's natural resources it was regularly invaded by outside forces – Japanese, Dutch, Makassarese. The Dutch first arrived in 1605, but did not effectively rule Sumbawa until the early 20th century. The Balinese kingdom of Gelgel ruled western Sumbawa for a short period as well. It was also home to the Sultanate of Bima.

Historical evidence indicates that people on Sumbawa island were known in the East Indies for their honey, horses,^[1] sappan wood for producing red dye,^[2] and sandalwood used for incense and medications. The area was thought to be highly productive agriculturally.

Administration[edit]

Sumbawa is administratively divided into 4 regencies and one kota (city). They are:

Name	Capital	Population 2005 estimate	Population 2010 Census
Sumbawa Regency	Sumbawa Besar	395,166	415,363
Dompu Regency	Dompu	201,842	218,984
Bima Regency	Raba	407,636	438,522
Sumbawa Barat (West Sumbawa) Regency	Taliwang	91,882	114,754
Bima City	Bima	123,064	142,443
Totals		1,219,590	1,330,066

Demographics[edit]

Islam was introduced via the Makassarese of Sulawesi.

Sumbawa has historically had two major linguistic groups who spoke languages that were unintelligible to each other. One group centered in the western side of the island speaks Basa Semawa (Indonesian: Bahasa Sumbawa) which is similar to the Sasak language from Lombok; the second group in the east speaks Nggahi Mbojo (Bahasa Bima). They were once separated by the Tambora Kingdom, which spoke a language related to neither. After the demise of Tambora, the kingdoms located in Sumbawa Besar and Bima were the two focal points of Sumbawa. This division of the island into two parts remains today; Sumbawa Besar and Bima are the two largest towns on the island, and are the centers of distinct cultural groups that share the island.

The population of the island (including minor outliers) was 1.33 million at the latest decennial Census in 2010, comprising 29.58%^[3] of the population of the entire province's with 4.5 million people.^[4] Due to lack of work opportunities on the island and its frequent drought conditions^[5] (unlike wet Bali), many people on the island seek work in the Middle East as laborers or domestic servants; some 500,000 workers, or over 10% of the population of West Nusa Tenggara, have left the country to work overseas.^[6]

Geography[edit]

The island is bound by bodies of water; to the west is Alas Strait, south is the Indian Ocean, Saleh Bay creates a major north-central indentation in the island, and the Flores Sea runs the length of the northern coastline. The Sape Strait lies to the east of the island and separates Sumbawa from Floresand the Komodo Islands, there are a number bays and gulfs, most notably Bima Bay, Cempi Bay, and Waworada Bay

Sumbawa's most distinguishing feature is Saleh Bay and the Tambora Peninsula with Mount Tambora. Highlands rise in four spots on the island, as well as on Sangeang Island, the large western lobe of Sumbawa is dominated by a large central highland, there is Mt. Tambora, Dompu and Bima each have more minor highlands.

There are a number of large surrounding islands, most notably are Moyo Island, volcanically active Sangeang Island and the touristic Komodo Islands(administered under Flores) to the east.

List of islands ^[7][edit]

West Sumbawa Regency Susait Dua Belang Songi Ular Kenawa Natano Sumbawa Besar Regency Panjang Island Saringi Kemudang Ayer Tawat Romo Medang Island

Saleh Bay, Sumbawa Besar Regency Moyo Island Dangar Besar Liang Ngali Tengar Kelapang Dompo Takebo Paming Lipa Rakit Dompu Regency P. Besar P. Nisa Pudu P. Nisa Rate

Bima Regency, Tambora Peninsula exclave Satonda Island Bima Regency Sangeang Island Sanai Island Matagate Island Banta Island

Volcanoes[edit]

Sumbawa lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is a volcanic island, including Mount Tambora (8°14’41”S, 117°59’35”E) which exploded in April 1815, the most destructive volcanic eruption in modern history (roughly four times larger than the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, between Java and Sumatra, in terms of volume of magma ejected). The eruption killed as many as 72,000. It also apparently destroyed a small culture of Southeast Asian affinity, known to archaeologists as the Tamboran kingdom. It launched 100 cubic kilometres (24 cu mi) of ash into the upper atmosphere, which caused 1816 to be the "year without a summer". [1]

Economy[edit]

We want to say that there has been a decline, but a slow decline. There is no seriousness from the government.(In reference to some 20 children died from malnutrition on Sumbawa in October, 2012) —Ida, Alliance of Prosperous Villages (ADS)^[8]

Many of the island residents are at risk of starvation when crops fail due to lack of rainfall. The majority of the population works in agriculture. Tourism is very nascent, with a few surf spots renowned for being world class, Sekongkang and Supersuck Beaches ^[7] near the mine, as well as Hu'u and Lakey Beach ^[7] in the Gulf of Cempi.

Due to the mine, Sumbawa Barat Regency (statistically), along with other remote mining towns, and Jakarta, have the highest GDP per capita rates in Indonesia, Sumbawa Barat's is 156.25 million rupiah ($17,170 USD) as of 2010,^[9] yet it is an area that sees entrenched, repeated starvation deaths and severe malnutrition in children.

Newmont Mine[edit]

The Southwestern extreme portion of Sumbawa is monopolized by American firm Newmont Mining Corporation; a large gold and copper mine, Newmont's Batu Hijau mine in Sumbawa began commercial operations in 2000, a decade after the copper and gold was discovered.^[10] Newmont holds a 45% stake in the operation through its shareholding in PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara. A local unit of Japan's Sumitomo Corporation has a 35% share.

Newmont and its partners have invested about $1.9 billion in the mine. The reserves are expected to last until 2034, making Batu Hijau one of the largest copper mines in the world. Newmont has a been involved in scandals of mercury and arsenic poisoning in Sulawesi island,^[11] as well as having been embroiled in pollution cases on four continents.,^[11] and also protests on Sumbawa itself, with police firing on protesters.^[12]

Transport[edit]

There is a road network in Sumbawa, but it is poorly maintained and has long portions of rough gravel. Frequent ferry service to Sumbawa (Poto Tano) from Lombok (Labuhan Lombok) exists, however ferry service to Flores from Sape is infrequent. Bima being the largest city, has ferry and bus service directly to Java and Bali, though service breakdowns are common.

References[edit]

1. ^ Jong Boers, B.D. de (2007), ‘The ‘Arab’ of the Indonesian Archipelago: The Famed Horse Breeds of Sumbawa’ in: Greg Bankoff and Sandra Swart (eds), Breeds of Empire: The ‘invention’ of the horse in Southern Africa and Maritime Southeast Asia, 1500–1950. Copenhagen: NIAS Press, pp 51–64.
2. ^ Jong Boers, B.D. de (1997), "Sustainability and time perspective in natural resource management: The exploitation of sappan trees in the forests of Sumbawa, Indonesia (1500–1875)" in: Peter Boomgaard, Freek Colombijn en David Henley (eds), Paper landscapes; Explorations in the environmental history of Indonesia. Leiden: KITLV Press, pp. 260–281.
3. ^ http://www.batukar.info/news/jumlah-penduduk-ntb-44-juta-jiwa
4. ^ http://www.citypopulation.de/Indonesia-MU.html
5. ^ http://gaungntb.com/2010/03/pemda-minta-masyarakat-waspadai-ancaman-bencana-kekeringan/
6. ^ http://www.gomong.com/2010/11/18/7082/dua-tkw-sumbawa-lumpuh-akibat-kecelakaan-kerja-di-arab-saudi/
7. ^ ^a b c West Nusa Tenggara Map, Provincial Tourism and Cultural Office, West Nusa Tenggara, 2008
8. ^ "Malnourishment ‘Not Taken Seriously’ as 20 Kids Die in Indonesia's NTB". Jakarta: Jakarta Globe. 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
9. ^ http://www.bps.go.id/booklet/Booklet_Feb_2012.pdf
10. ^ http://www.jatam.org/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=359&Itemid=69
11. ^ ^a b http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/08/international/asia/08indo.html New York Times, "Spurred by Illness, Indonesians Lash Out at U.S. Mining Giant" September 8, 2004
12. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-26/indonesian-police-fire-on-gold-mine-protesters/3747908