"Lion Pedau" attracts several tourists to visit Lake Buyan

Singaraja (Antaranews Bali) - The tourist attraction of "lion pedau," or a traditional boat, with a Ambara Raja Lion statue at its edge, symbolic of Buleleng District, has drawn visitors to Lake Buyan, Pancasari Village, Sukasada, Buleleng, Bali.

"The lion pedau attraction has been developed since some three years ago as part of the Twin Lake Festival activities, where the lion blade is always competed by fishermen groups, youth, private and government institutions," Chairman of the Committee Ir. Made Arnika stated here on Friday.

At the Twin Lake Festival 2018, the lion pedau race was again held at Lake Buyan on the second day (July 5), with 33 teams from institutions in the Buleleng district government, fishermen, and youth organizations participating in the event.

During the contest, there were three units of lion pedau, with equipment and supporting facilities, such as security gear and medical teams to be used for participants to compete.

"The boat contest aims to boost the natural tourist attraction in the area of Lake Buyan and Tamblingan and to educate the public and tourists on nature preservation here," he explained.

While attending the festival, Regent of Buleleng Putu Agus Suradnyana conveyed that henceforth the use of motorized boats was banned in a bid to prevent water pollution in the lakes of Buyan and Tamblingan.

"This is a serious matter to keep it safe from pollution, so it would be better if the water that enters the lake must pass through a pool shelter first," he explained.

Meanwhile, Vice Regent of Buleleng I Nyoman Sutjidra remarked that his party welcomed the lion pedau competition, as it can boost the spirit, cooperation, and cohesiveness among teams that will reflect on the performance.

"I am quite proud of this race, as only Buleleng has a rowing pedau lion in Bali. Hopefully, we would be able to pass on the values of competitiveness, unity, and a high sense of caring through this competition," he added.

The lion pedau competition was won by the Sari Sedana Fishermen Group, followed by the Buyan Youth group finishing second, while the Environment Department stood third, the Fisheries Department came fourth, Minister For Public Works and Human Settlements Service ranked fifth, and the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency came sixth.(WDY)