Councilor urges quarrying stopped<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor urged the city administration
\nyesterday to take stern action against illegal sand quarrying
\nactivities on the Thousand Islands, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Saud Rachman, member of Commission D for development affairs,
\nmade the appeal in response to the disappearance of six islands
\nin the chain of islands as a result of excessive sand quarrying
\nfor nearby projects, including the North Jakarta coast
\nreclamation project.<\/p>\n
The six islands that have been reported to have disappeared
\nare Pulau Ubi, Pulau Damar, Pulau Laki, Pulau Nirwana, Pulau
\nDapur and Pulau Nyamuk.<\/p>\n
Two of the islands, Pulau Laki and Pulau Nyamuk, were home to
\nmany bird species.<\/p>\n
Saud also named three other islets in the chain, Gusung Laga,
\nGusung Karang and Gusung Kapas, which were also vanishing because
\nof the illegal sand quarrying.<\/p>\n
\"The sand quarrying activities in the area have been done over
\nthe last decade. Why does the city administration still issue
\npermits to contractors to do sand quarrying there?\" he said.<\/p>\n
Saud said the disappearance of the six islands started when
\npart of the islands' sand was taken for the development of
\nSoekarno-Hatta International Airport in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
\"Stopping the existing sand quarrying practice is not easy. I
\ncan't imagine what the damage will be if the administration keeps
\ngiving permits for other contractors to do the same in the
\nThousand Islands chain,\" Saud said.<\/p>\n
Saud said that it is terrible for Jakarta to lose the islands
\nbecause as well as being the city's natural habitat sites, they
\nalso function as the city's barrier against environmental
\nchanges.<\/p>\n
\"The city administration, especially the North Jakarta
\nmayoralty, has to be strict and bravely enforce the rules,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Saud said that the deteriorating situation was caused mainly
\nby the possibility of collusion between some officials and big
\ncontractors in the reclamation projects.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, deputy governor of economic and development
\naffairs, T.B. Rais, said earlier that the reclamation project in
\nNorth Jakarta bay would need 200 million cubic meters of sand.<\/p>\n
According to Rais, the sand would be taken from underwater
\nsea-sand quarrying and the 14 rivers in North Jakarta, including
\nBanjir Kanal Timur.<\/p>\n
While not opposed to the reclamation plan, Saud said it was
\ntime for every official involved in the project having a bad
\nimpact on the environment to consistently obey the rules.<\/p>\n
\"If some officials or contractors were proven to be guilty in
\nsuch practices, they should be exposed to the public and
\npunished according to the existing law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Remember our future generations. Don't sacrifice them over
\nthe negligence we do today,\" Saud added. (07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/councilor-urges-quarrying-stopped-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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