Planned industrial zone meets opposition
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan
People in the North Sumatra town of Belawan have become agitated over plans by a local businessman to create a container industrial zone in a mangrove forest there.
Locals and environmental activists are demanding that the Belawan authorities cancel the planned industrial zone, which according to them would threaten their life in the future.
The swamp, where the industrial zone would be set up, protects the coastline from flooding when sea levels rise in Belawan.
The project could increase the likelihood of flooding in the town after the mangrove forest is converted into an industrial zone, said locals, mostly fishermen.
M. Adenan Noor, a local villager, said on Tuesday that currently, the rise in the sea level has already reached up to 30 centimeters, causing concern among people in Belawan, where several areas are often inundated.
"We can imagine what would happen if the industrial zone is developed. The rise in the sea level would submerge more areas across Belawan. So far, flooding triggered by rising sea levels has been contained by these swamps.
"We are extremely worried the project would have a detrimental impact on our life, such as flooding," Noor said.
North Sumatra's Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) executive director Herwin Nasution concurred, saying the planned project could harm the ecosystem because it would destroy the mangrove tree forest.
Mangrove forests are extremely important for environmental preservation in the sea, particularly to prevent erosion and protect fish from extinction, Herwin argued.
He urged the government to seriously consider the objections of local people to the planned industrial zone in order to protect them from floods.
"Based on Law No. 13/1997 on the environment, if people raise objections about proposed development due to environmental concerns, the authorities must delay the conversion of the land until after they approve it," Herwin told The Jakarta Post.
The industrial zone would reportedly be created on tens of hectares of swampy land from Bagan Deli to Belawan Bahari neighborhoods.
Contractors have started by piling up soil on the construction site, where concrete pillars have been erected. Heavy equipment has even arrived there.
Noor said he received information that the industrial zone would be used to accommodate containers and warehouses.
When the project has been completed, it would be the largest container storage center in Belawan.
Responding to the protests, Medan Legislative Council deputy speaker Ibrahim Sakti Batubara said the project was initiated without the approval of council leaders.
However, the project had been discussed by commissions in the council, he added.
Ibrahim called for an open dialog to address the objections of the Belawan people to the project.
"The council leaders cannot comment further on this project. We will study it first by inviting all relevant parties involved in the development plan," he said.