Heaptalk, Jakarta — West Kutai Regency has many natural attractions, one of which is Lake Jempang which is located in Tanjung Jaan Village, Jempang District.
This tourist destination can be reached in 7 hours by road from Samarinda City, East Kalimantan Province. Another option is a one-day boat trip from Samarinda. The tiredness of traveling instantly will pay off when tourists arrive at Lake Jempang witnessing its unique and exotic beauty.
This lake has an area of 15,000 hectares with a high diversity of flora and fauna. Fauna that is often seen includes several types of birds such as silver egrets, buffalo egrets, great egrets, and little egrets. There are also Asian snake corkscrews, blekok sawah or javan pond herons, common sandpipers, giant swallows, red herons, and tong tong storks or lesser adjutants.
One of the typical animals of East Kalimantan Province, the Irrawaddy dolphin is also found in this lake as reported by the Economic and Development Sector, Regional Research and Development Agency (Balitbangda) of East Kalimantan Province.
Functioning as a flood control area for IKN
Visitors who like swimming can explore one of the largest lakes of around 76 lakes spread across the Mahakam River basin. Its depth reaches 8 meters, suitable for swimming spots. This lake receives water input from several rivers, including the Ohong River, Bongan River, Perian River, and Tanjung Isuy River according to East Kalimantan Province Balitbangda’s report.
However, every 5 years, this lake will experience drought as a natural phenomenon. When it dries up, this lake looks like a desert, creating a unique and rare sight. This actually makes visitors keep coming, both domestic and foreign tourists.
Apart from being a tourist destination, this lake also has a primary function as a flood control area for the buffer zone of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN). Local communities take advantage of Lake Jempang as a source of livelihood. When it is filled with water, people look for fish in it. On the other hand, when it dries up, people use the dry land to grow crops. (Translated by Sinta)