If we are walking from Kaliputra to Gerumbul Depok, we will pass through beautiful rice fields Mount Agaran which is located in the area of Desa Melung, Kedungbanteng District, Banyumas. The location is next to the Grumbul Depok public cemetery.
Even though it is only a hill, the local people call it Mount Agaran. The name “Gunung Agaran” itself originated from a story spread in the community which was passed down from generation to generation. One day there was a farmer who was working at the field. At that time the dry season was hitting the Desa Melung area. The very hot weather seemed burning the farmer’s body which made him sweat and wet his whole body. Unable to bear the fatigue, the farmer decided to rest for a while.
After drinking water and stuffing his stomach with makeshift supplies. As usual, the Farmer took out the tobacco pack that he had in his pocket. A few moments later, the Farmer seemed busy rolling his tobacco with dry corn leaves. A moment later, a cigarette have perched on the corner of his lips. But apparently the Farmer forgot to bring matches while the desire to smoke has reached stuckly. Going back home was impossible because it was far away and he had to go up and down hills while waiting for people to pass was also very impossible.
The Farmer took two bamboo sticks and rubbed them against each other in order to make a fire. With steady strength and speed, the friction of the two bamboo blades sparks arise which are then used to ignite cigarettes.Overjoyed being able to enjoy smoking, the farmer unconsciously threw away the two bamboo sticks that still had fire on them. Until then it was burning the Farmer’s field.
The weather and the winds of the dry season accelerated the blaze, until the fires were out of control. The flames could be seen from the residential areas under Mount Agaran. So this event would be commemorated the mountain or hill, the name was “Mount Agaran”. In another version, Mount Agaran can also mean the place where the “Ngagar” fire or flared is made up by the Farmer. That’s all from the origins of Mount Agaran.
In one corner of the dull village hall, Margino (38) looks seriously interviewing a farmer like a professional journalist about organic vegetable cultivation. All answers are written by him on opaque paper and just a few hours later, the article was posted on the village portal complete with a photo, as in the following story.
Population growth cause various social and environmental problems which often lead to a decline in the level of social welfare. Welfare can be interpreted from an economic perspective as well as quality of life.Even though there are many positive things from the increasing population growth rates, such as the availability of sufficient human resources, increasing business opportunities, the increasing number of population which is not accompanied by an increase in the production sector always gives rise to the problem of unemployment. Apart from that, the development of residential areas is always accompanied by problems of waste and environmental pollution.
Desa Melung is not free from problems in managing the increasing population. Every year, there are at least 10 new families who will build a house in the short term. If only 4 couples are able to build a house in the first year, then in one year there will be 4 new houses built, which must also be supported by public infrastructure such as roads, water pipes and so on.With the hilly topographical conditions of Desa Melung and with a slope of 30 degrees, housing placement become a priority so it does not cause landslides. Residents barely pay little attention to environmental factors such as reduced rice fields and plantation land and potential disasters.
.Land use and function are very important and become the concern to all residents. The village government tried to make appropriate solutions so this things can provide a sense of comfort and security for residents who live in hilly areas.
There are several precondition that all village residents must fulfill, including:
There are land use regulations for agricultural land, community plantations, areas prone to landslides, residential areas and others.
Preparing facilities and infrastructure for housing so that there will be no friction between residents in the future.
Disciplining residents not to build housing in areas prone to landslides, or on land agreed upon not for housing.
Taking care of the building construction permit and do not start house construction activities before the permit is issued. This problem actually does not only occur in Desa Melung, but is certain to occur in other villages. Even though the impact has not been felt, it will gradually become a very complicated problem if it is not considered early. Reducing the area of green land has a big impact on water absorption capacity. In a matter of years, this condition causes a reduction in clean water sources for residents, as well as accelerating the occurrence of landslides due to high rainfall. Biodiversity will decrease as settlements grow.
Melung, 19 September 2021, The Deputy Regent of Banyumas visited the Pagubugan Melung tourist attraction. This visit aims to survey the tourism sector to reopen it after almost 3 months of closure due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The visit was accompanied by the Head of the Banyumas Regency Youth, Sports, Culture and Tourism Service along with other staff, apart from that, he was also guided directly by Maman representing the management of Pagubugan Melung.
The fun walk activity took place lively in commemorating the 77th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence on August 17 2022, in Desa Melung, Kedungbanteng District, Banyumas Regency. The fun walk activity was held on Sunday (21/08/2022) morning, which was attended by the residents of Desa Melung. It also made all participants happy because it was filled with door prizes. The fun walk started from the Desa Melung Hall yard which was opened directly by PKK women as the chief organizer and welcomed by the village head Mr. Khoerudin, S.Sos. Before the Fun Walk activity started, since morning the participants had arrived at the activity location in the Desa Melung Hall. After the participants were gathered, the Chair of the Fun Walk Committee started the event with an initial route in the village hall yard then around the village road and finished back at the Desa Melung Hall.
The committee for the 77th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence in Desa Melung provided various attractive door prizes for the participants, such as pans, buckets, stoves and other utensils. “We were very thankful for the Chief Executive and Head of Desa Melung for holding a fun walk to commemorate the 77th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence. Hopefully we can always instill the values of the proclamation and can always respect the Indonesian people, especially others, always try and stay enthusiastic ” said one of the fun walk participants.
