PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM), in partnership with local village and district administrations, along with Kutai Kartanegara Marine and Fisheries Agency and RASI (Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia) conducted Waste Management Education and Mahakam river dolphins Protection and Preservation in Pela Village, Kota Bangun District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency on Sunday, 16 September 2019. 

The event was a form of PHM's contribution to the government's sustainable environmental preservation and rare species protection in East Kalimantan. PHM also encouraged community independence through sustainable businesses. 

PHM also provided mentorship on Mahakam river dolphins conservation zone establishment by conducting acoustic pinger study, water quality survey and Mahakam river dolphin survey. The company also conducted waste campaign and river and village clean up, as well as distributed waste drums as part of the Mahakam River environmental management.  

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Head of Kutai Kartanegara Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Abdullah Panusu, said that the Kukar administration was grateful to PHM for supporting the rare species protection program. &ldquo;The Mahakam river dolphins are the symbol of East Kalimantan. It's our job to protect and preserve the animal as we know that it is included as one of the world's endangered species&rdquo;.&nbsp; Abdullah also hoped that the community could preserve the environment around the animal's habitat by not littering. Head of Kukar Marine and Fisheries Agency, Yusha Abdi, Bangun Mawardi District Head, Pela Village Official Sofiannur, Travel Awareness Group Chairman Alimin and PHM management representative Rsdmg Luhur also attended the event. 

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The event was started by village clean up competition that began on 1 September 2019. The judging was conducted for RT 001 to 006 in Pela Village, Kota Bangun, by looking at the rubbish bin and public restrooms owned by each neighborhood unit. The bridge cleanliness and plants were also part of the judging aspect. The company also symbolically handed out rubbish bins and visited the Pela Village fisheries museum. 

There were 500 direct recipients of the program in the Kota Bangun District, consisting of 10 villages: Pela, Sangkuliman, Koba Ulu, Koba Ilir, Liang Ulu, Liang Ilir, Koba Seberang, Kedang Murung, Muhuran and Sebelimbingan villages. The program indirectly benefitted around 4,000 people. 

The recipients enthusiastically participated in the event and fully supported the Tourism Village program, shown by their enthusiasm by collecting wastes from the riverside and sorted them out. 

The Mahakam river dolphins could live in two habitats, freshwater rivers and coastal area with brackish water. According to data, the animal lived in three of the world's biggest rivers, which are Mahakam river (Indonesia), Mekong (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) and Ayeyarwaddy (Myanmar). Surveys conducted by the RASI Foundation in 2017-2018 revealed that &nbsp; the Mahakam river dolphin population in the Mahakam river reached &nbsp;83-87 dolphins, while the average annual death rate was 3 dolphins with birth rate of about 4-6 dolphins. The RASI study also revealed that the 66% of the dolphins' death were caused by fishermen's gilnet.&nbsp;