Bantul (ANTARA) - The gurgling of flowing water can be faintly heard when passing through Jalan Samas in Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta. The water flow extends from north to south, adorning the roadside scenery on the eastern side.

The sound comes from the Winongo Kecil River, which is part of an irrigation channel or a primary-to-secondary channel. A small dam controls the volume of water discharge in the river.

Prabawa Suganda, Srigading Urban Village Head of Sanden Subdistrict, Bantul Regency, stated that the dam’s function is to channel water to agricultural irrigation channels to support farming activities in the southern part of Bantul.

Besides serving as an irrigation channel, which already has economic impacts on the local community's agriculture, this irrigation channel is also utilized for several economic activities within the community.

One of them is fish restocking, or the spreading of fish fingerlings, which is a result of cooperation with the Bantul Marine and Fisheries Agency. Fish restocking is often referred to as a biodiversity conservation effort, with the assistance of government-provided fingerling seedlings.

Gogoh Kali

Srigading residents refer to the activity of harvesting fish in the Winongo Kecil River channel as "gogoh kali." In English, "Gogoh kali" means catching fish in the river without using any tools. This activity is carried out when the water control gates reduce the river flow.

“Gogoh kali,” which has become a tourism activity for Srigading’s community every dry season right before the rainy season, involves harvesting fish that have been released as fingerlings during the rainy season or during periods of high water flow in the Winongo Kecil River channel.

The community integrates economic and tourism activities in “gogoh kali”.

Today, a community group of tourism village managers has been formed to coordinate “gogoh kali”. The urban village government provides financial and fingerlings support to the community.

The Community Supervisory Group (Pokmaswas) of Kedung Mina Lestari recorded that the last “gogoh kali” event in the Winongo Kecil River was in September 2023. Collectively, hundreds or even thousands of people would catch fish in the river's reduced water flow.

Thus, the river benefits the surrounding residents, with the annual fish harvesting tourism event usually held before the onset of the rainy season.

Before the fish harvest, the urban village government makes an announcement to the residents. Residents who want to participate in the activity are encouraged to contribute voluntarily. The money is then used for the event’s development by purchasing fingerlings and redistributing them for collective harvesting in the following season.

Before the 2023 fish harvest, the restocking activity in the Winongo Kecil River channel received support from the Yogyakarta Fisheries and Marine Affairs Agency in the form of around 10,000 fingerlings of various species, including carp, mullet, and freshwater prawns. The community group also participated in spreading the fingerlings.

After the fish restocking, all Srigading residents, both in the northern and southern areas, are only allowed to catch fish by fishing. To maintain the sustainability of the fish ecosystem, the use of nets, poisons, or environmentally unfriendly fishing gear is prohibited.

The supervisory group has also installed signs prohibiting the use of environmentally unfriendly fishing gear at several points within their surveillance range. This ensures that the commitment to preserving the river ecosystem is upheld collectively.

They established rules to prevent river littering and promote fish population growth. The local people themselves conduct monitoring. The monitoring group coordinates to ensure that residents remain united and committed to adhering to these rules.

The Winongo Kecil River, utilized for economic and agricultural activities in the Srigading Urban Village area, divides four hamlets within the urban village: Karen, Gedongan, Celeb, and Ceme. The people in these hamlets are also encouraged to participate in preserving the river environment.

During the rainy season, water from the small channel is primarily utilized to irrigate agricultural land. Local communities are mostly engaged in cleaning the channels to ensure unobstructed water flow, thereby mitigating the risk of flooding.

The local government noted that nearly all agricultural lands in the southern Bantul area utilize water from the river. In irrigation management, the monitoring group coordinates with the irrigation authority to control the water gates.

The urban village government does not have precise data on the exact area of agricultural land in Srigading, which utilizes irrigation from the small river. However, it is estimated that more than 200 hectares of land are used for rice cultivation, with some also planted with shallots and chili peppers.

There are no limitations on river water utilization because water gates separate each area. The water becomes deeper as it approaches the water gates and shallower farther away from them.

Tourism Purposes

The local government and community also consider ways to optimize the river for tourism, aside from benefitting the agricultural sector, through harnessing the potential of water flow. This is because the river flows alongside views of expansive rice fields.

Srigading Urban Village has submitted a proposal to the Yogyakarta Regional Government through special funding. In 2024, they received budget allocation for the second time. This budget was utilized, among other things, to purchase canoes.

 
The local government hopes the river to be used for various economic activities, not just for irrigation channels and fish farming.

An example of that is the efforts undertaken by the Srigading community group. The Srigading community group, which is part of the Banjoe Adji Tourism Village, is developing a tourist village with the government's help. They offer canoeing activities that utilize the river's flow along Jalan Samas.

According to the management of Banjoe Adji Tourism Village, their group has participated in training organized by the Bantul Tourism Agency. Subsequently, they established the tourism village, along with the residents, at the end of August 2023 and have already obtained an official decree from the Srigading Urban Village Head.

Banjoe Adji Tourism Village offers canoeing activities for tourists. These activities allow them to paddle along the Winongo Kecil River for approximately 10 minutes or cover a distance of around one kilometer.

For now, the canoe tourism operation is open on weekends, specifically on Saturdays and Sundays, with seven canoes available. The Special Allocation Fund of the Yogyakarta Regional Government funds the operation.

People enjoy tourism on the Winongo Kecil River in the Srigading Sanden Urban Village, Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta. (ANTARA/Hery Sidik)