Development causing Lampung hills to shrink<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N.
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
Apart from its magnificent beaches and bays, in the past
\nBandarlampung city was also known for its hills.<\/p>\n
But not any more. These days most of the hills are in a sorry
\nstate, not only because of rock quarrying by residents, but also
\ndue to large-scale excavations by companies to meet the demands
\nof housing developers. Part of the material is also used for
\nreclamation projects.<\/p>\n
An upmarket restaurant and hotel now stand on Umbul Kapuk
\nHill, whereas houses have been built on Tamin Hill.<\/p>\n
A reservoir has been built on the western side of Sulah Hill
\nby the Way Rilau state water company.<\/p>\n
And only half of Kunyit Hill remains.<\/p>\n
The hills have acted as catchments for about 1.5 million
\nBandarlampung inhabitants.<\/p>\n
Environmentalist Mukri Priatna said that the majority of hills
\nin Bandarlampung had been damaged by quarrying companies and
\nresidents.<\/p>\n
\"Residents quarry traditionally, using chisels, crowbars and
\nsledgehammers. But don't underestimate them because one single
\nquarrier can pry over five cubic meters of rocks per day,\" said
\nMukri, executive director of the Lampung Forum for the
\nEnvironment (Walhi) on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
An increase in quarrying activities has led to a number of
\ndisasters. In June 2004, at least 12 houses were destroyed and 82
\npeople rendered homeless in a rockfall on Kunyit Hill.<\/p>\n
Camang Hill in East Tanjungkarang district is in the poorest
\ncondition as PT Bukit Alam Surya (PT BAS) has been excavating 24
\nhours a day for the past two years.<\/p>\n
The company will build an upmarket residential complex on the
\nhill, which is being leveled in some places for the construction.<\/p>\n
Rocks removed in the project will be used as landfill material
\nalong 10 kilometers of the Lampung Bay coast, which is to be
\ndeveloped into a waterfront city in the future. Thousands of
\nfisherfolk will apparently be evicted from the area.<\/p>\n
Despite strong protests from environmentalists and residents
\nagainst excavation and landfill activities, they still prevail.<\/p>\n
Mukri said the activities had gone on unabated due to the
\nenactment of a municipal bylaw on \"quarrying C classified
\nmaterials\" (rocks and sand), which allowed companies with permits
\nto carry out large-scale quarrying activities.<\/p>\n
\"Strangely enough, the regional revenue derived from quarrying
\ndoes not reached even Rp 50 million (US$5,000) annually,\" said
\nMukri.<\/p>\n
Disaster has often struck around Camang Hill, such as in 2004
\nwhen heavy rain led to floods in which 10 houses were submerged
\nin knee-deep mud. People living at the foot of Mount Sukajawa
\nexperienced a similar incident in 1998 when seven houses were
\nflooded and one house was struck by rocks that rolled down the
\nhill. A developing company was constructing the Villa Tamin
\nhousing estate at the time.<\/p>\n
Klutum Hill in Kotabaru subdistrict, East Tanjungkarang, has
\nalso been severely damaged, with PT Arya Mandala Dwipa developing
\nthe Taman Gading Jaya housing complex. The company is still
\nleveling parts of the hill to build houses.<\/p>\n
The area was home to a number of animal species, such as
\nmonkeys, wild cats and a variety of birds, but they have all been
\nforced out of their habitat.<\/p>\n
Water shortages have become common in Bandarlampung over the
\npast five years due to the environmental damage.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the rainy season will surely be followed by
\nfloods. \"Just three days of rain creates floods everywhere,\" said
\nMukri.<\/p>\n
Mukri said that prior to the 1990s, Bandarlampung was well-
\nknown for its hilly terrain and visitors came to enjoy the
\nnatural beauty of the city. It was a time when the air was still
\nfresh and crisp, thanks to the hills that functioned as the lungs
\nof the city.<\/p>\n
\"But Bandarlampung is humid now. Clean water sources will soon
\nbe threatened due to the limited green spaces that retain
\nrainwater,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bandarlampung Mayor Eddy Sutrisno said that the quarrying and
\nland reclamation had been endorsed in a bylaw signed by former
\nmayor Suharto. Eddy said his office intended to review the bylaw.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/development-causing-lampung-hills-to-shrink-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}