Danau Maninjau – Sumatra Indonesia – Photographic Journal

by kaiconfusion

A photographic collection of impressions from our Indonesia journey in Sumatra at Lake Maninjau near Bukittinggi.
Pollution has left its toll on the lake but the scenery is still breathtaking.

Lake Maninjau (Danau Maninjau) is one of the worlds most imposing lakes with a volcanic origin. It is an impressive site and an incredible imagination that lake Maninjau is in fact a volcano crater that over time has filled up with water. In comparison to Lake Toba (Danau Toba) the worlds biggest volcanic lake also in Sumatra, lake Maninjau is lake Tobas small brother featuring a more comprehensible size. Here one can still grasp the size and believe that it is indeed a volcano crater.
The beauty of the scenery and the quality of the water has sadly been spoiled due to heavy pollution by the locals. The water of the lake isn’t clean especially for a remote huge lake that lake Maninjau is. Fish farms have been established in large quantities and overfishing and a growing need for money should be the reasons for that. The introduction of plastic products and chemicals in detergents, lack of sewage systems, pesticides for farming and other things, into an environment that had largely been living self-sufficient comes with price for the environment and for the people. With little knowledge, money and only few facilities for the disposal of garbage and waste water, garbage is burned and the remnants washed back into the lake. Everything is bound to end up in the lake! The burning of plastic quickly becomes apparent to every traveller in Indonesia as it is common daily practise in nearly every household outside of the city. Even though there aren’t so many people but since there are plastic fires smouldering nearly non stop in combination with the pollution of the traffic, the air in Sumatra has become really terrible and must be a real health hazard for Indonesian people!
It seems as if the lake Maninjau and that might be true for the entire Sumatra island, will have to endure heavy pollution and destruction just as so many other places in Asia too, before people will understand that they are only hurting themselves .
It is sad to see, though I don’t think the locals are to blame to harshly. Many of them still don’t know better and they have to fight for their survival everyday. It is us that could try to support them, not having to make the same mistakes that others already did, with all that hardship related to it.
Nevertheless Sumatras unique wilderness and natural beauty is still present and for us and for all living creatures to enjoy and to protect!