Kapuas in West Kalimantan is the longest river in Indonesia. This river extends 1145 km’s from Kapuas Hulu district to Pontianak city. Kapuas’s watershed area has the highest biodiversity of freshwater fauna in Indonesia with around 300 – 500 species of freshwater fishes .
Kapuas plays significant role in the live and welfare of community in West Kalimantan. Its social and economic functions for transportation and trade shaping the character of Pontianak. This river is public space where people meet and socialize through hundreds of bath, wash, latrines and warung (small shop) spots. Everyday, especially in morning and late afternoon, on the banks of Kapuas you can see the women washing clothes and chatting, the children swimming around, and the man drinking coffee in warung.
Near Ramadan (fasting month of Moslem), people start to make carbide cannons to welcome Ied (end of Ramadan). The cannon made from a log about four meters long that split and hollowed like a pipe. The logs are then cupped back, tied with rattan and arranged in line on the banks of Kapuas. At evening, people fill it with carbide, fired and blow it. This festival culminated in the night before Ied. The sound of the cannon is extremely loud and still can be hear till 5 km's far.
After Ied, carbide cannons become a playground for children of Kapuas. They climb to the top of the cannon and jump into the river. Byurrr.
