Governor urged to take over Bira Island case<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja should take over the
\ncase of Bira Island following President Soeharto's call to put a
\nhalt to the devastation of the island, said H. Lukman F.
\nMokoginta, the chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party.<\/p>\n
\"The President has expressed his deep concern with the
\nenvironmental destruction taking place due to the construction of
\na golf course on the island. The governor should take over the
\ncase instead of expecting the Seribu Island Development
\nSupervision Control Team to solve it,\" Lukman said.<\/p>\n
Last week the President underlined the importance of
\nrejuvenating the environment and called for stern action against
\nthe developer, PT Pulau Seribu Paradise, if it refused to abide
\nby existing regulations.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto made the remarks after State Minister of
\nEnvironment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja detailed the poor condition of
\nBira Island, mostly the result of unabated tree felling.<\/p>\n
\"An environment impact analysis (Amdal) of Bira Island has
\nbeen rejected for several times by the city administration's
\ncommission on environmental impacts. It is not due to the
\nslowness of the consulting firm that had been hired by the golf
\ncourse developers, but because the data which should be analyzed
\ndoes not meet the qualifications,\" Lukman said.<\/p>\n
The Amdal, the Indonesian acronym by which the environmental
\nanalysis is known, is a mandatory assessment that must be
\npresented by developers to ensure that any development will not
\nproduce unwanted effects on the surrounding environment.<\/p>\n
Last February, the commission on environmental impacts turned
\ndown the developer's Bira Island analysis for the third time.<\/p>\n
\"The city administration will try to find the best solution to
\nthis problem instead of stopping the construction of the golf
\ncourse,\" said Ery Chajaridipura, head of the City Development
\nPlanning Agency and also chairman of Amdal commission.<\/p>\n
\"If the problem is about the water catchment, we can find a
\nsolution by using high technology. For example, we can build
\nwater catchment wells in those areas,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to the existing regulation, the developer of the
\nisland must set aside 40 percent of the land for greeneries
\nwhich will be managed by the city administration.<\/p>\n
To get around the regulation, the developer, with the approval
\nof the city administration, provided a plot of land for the green
\narea on nearby Panjang Island instead of on Bira Island.<\/p>\n
\"The city administration should not have allowed the developer
\nto provide a plot of land on another island,\" Lukman said.<\/p>\n
The environment impact analysis of the island is still being
\nprocessed by the City Environment Office.<\/p>\n
Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno, head of the City Environment Office,
\nsaid, \"We expect to announce the result of the Amdal study this
\nmonth. From the Amdal results we will determine the extent of the
\ndestruction.\"<\/p>\n
\"At the moment there is an independent consulting firm
\nassigned to check the condition of the water around the island,\"
\nhe said, adding that it would be impossible to return the
\nenvironment to its previous, less adulterated state.<\/p>\n
Last week Minister Sarwono instructed PT Seribu Island
\nParadise to audit the island's environment.<\/p>\n
He also asked the developer to revive the plants there that
\nserve as water catchment and to improve the bio-diversity
\nconditions of the island. (31\/yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/governor-urged-to-take-over-bira-island-case-1447893297",
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