PANGKALPINANG -- The Coral Garden on Putri Island, located in the Penyusuk Beach area, has become even more beautiful after being submerged by PT Timah Tbk in 2022. The coral reefs attached to it have made it a playground for fish.
The Coral Garden program, carried out by PT Timah Tbk in collaboration with the local fishing community of Penyusuk, Romodong Indah Village, Belinyu Subdistrict, Bangka Regency, has become a unique attraction for underwater tourism at Penyusuk Beach.
As a member of the mining industry holding MIND ID, PT Timah Tbk submerged the coral garden using two forms: concrete media and dome-shaped iron frames for the first, and a long rack for the second.
The artificial ecosystem formed by this Coral Garden is expected to enhance the potential for marine tourism, especially snorkeling and diving, preserve natural coral reefs, and become a habitat for marine life.
Indra Ambalika Syari, Vice Chair of the Sayang Babel Kite Foundation, who is also a partner of PT Timah Tbk in implementing the Coral Garden program, stated that the results of PT Timah Tbk's submerged Coral Garden are already promising.
"First, they created racks and then planted coral seedlings transplanted from PT Timah Tbk's marine reclamation. It's not taken from natural coral reefs anymore. Our monitoring results are also positive," said the Marine Science lecturer at Bangka Belitung University.
Indra explained that the growing corals are already large, and many fish are playing in the Coral Garden area. The corals are diverse and visually appealing.
"In general, reef fish are starting to play a lot in the Coral Garden area," he said.
According to him, this Coral Garden is PT Timah Tbk's effort to support the underwater tourism sector in the Penyusuk Beach area. In the future, this Coral Garden could become an underwater photo spot for tourists interested in snorkeling or diving.
"Despite its growth, maintenance is still carried out, such as grafting if there are dead corals, to keep the Coral Garden looking beautiful," he added.
