Sentarum Lake: West Kalimantan

Sentarum Lake is a seasonal lagoon consisting of small ponds in the upper reaches of the Kapuas River, 700 kilometers from Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province.

This area is known as Sentarum National Park. Extending to about 132,000 hectares, the park includes wetlands and tropical rainforest.

Sentarum Lake serves as a giant reservoir. During the rainy season, 25 percent of the lake is water from the Kapuas River. In the dry season, the lake supplies water to the river.

The lake often dries up and turns into small ponds during the dry season.

The park is home to many endemic species of flora and fauna, including the popular arowana (Scleropages formosus) fish.

Blessed with numerous fish species, local people who live in the 55 villages in the area rely on the lake to survive.

Text and photo by Ricky Yudhistira