JP\/8\/nabiel<\/p>\n
Nabiel denies
\napproving
\nreclamation
\nproject<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim denied on
\nTuesday Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's statement that the minister
\nhad changed his mind and decided to approve the reclamation of
\nJakarta's north coast.<\/p>\n
\"Well ... it's a misperception on the part of Pak Sutiyoso...
\nI have never agreed with the reclamation project,\" Nabiel told
\njournalists in his office.<\/p>\n
He was responding to Sutiyoso's claim on Monday that Nabiel
\nhad endorsed the much-criticized plan during their meeting on the
\nsame day.<\/p>\n
The governor said Nabiel had demanded at the Monday meeting
\nthat the project be integrated with the city administration's
\nplan to address the unresolved flood problem.<\/p>\n
However, the minister said on Tuesday that if Sutiyoso wanted
\nto press ahead with the reclamation of 2,700 hectares of coastal
\nland, he should first redesign the plan and submit a new
\nenvironmental impact analysis (Amdal).<\/p>\n
\"For example, the size and location of the reclamation project
\nmust be changed and then they (the city administration) should
\ncarry out a new Amdal study,\" Nabiel said.<\/p>\n
He explained that an integrated policy involving the Bogor and
\nJakarta administrations to resolve the annual flooding in the
\ncapital should be developed so as to allow the new reclamation
\nproject to go ahead.<\/p>\n
\"Without comprehensive measures to control the floods, any
\ncoastal reclamation project in North Jakarta will only further
\nworsen the problem,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Even if measures to tackle the floods in Jakarta were already
\ndrawn up, Nabiel still doubted that the use of 330 million cubic
\nmeters of sand for the reclamation project, which will cover some
\n32 kilometers of the north coast, would not damage the
\nenvironment in the areas where the sand would be excavated.<\/p>\n
In this case, it would be useless if changes to the
\nreclamation project were made only on the basis of the Amdal,
\nNabiel added.<\/p>\n
\"If the design of a new reclamation project is similar to the
\ncurrent plan, any changes in the Amdal will be meaningless. We
\nwill still reject it for the same reasons,\" the minister
\nasserted.<\/p>\n
Nabiel issued Ministerial Decree No. 14\/2003 on Feb. 19
\nrejecting the 2,700-hectare reclamation project, and he said on
\nTuesday that the decision was final.<\/p>\n
According to the decree, the project would raise the sea level
\nby about 12 centimeters, and would damage the marine ecosystem as
\nmillions of cubic meters of sand would be needed for the project.<\/p>\n
The plan would also increase pollution in the Kepulauan Seribu
\nregency due to activities during the reclamation process and the
\nutilization of the reclaimed land.<\/p>\n
In addition, the project would spark social conflict as
\nthousands of fishermen living in Kamal Muara, Muara Angke, Muara
\nBaru and Kampung Luar Batang would lose their livelihoods.<\/p>\n
Nabiel has also urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri to
\nissue a decree revoking Presidential Decree No. 52\/1995 issued by
\nformer president Soeharto, which provided a legal basis for the
\ncity administration to press ahead with the project.<\/p>\n
Nabiel went on to say that instead of proceeding with the
\nreclamation, his ministry has proposed an alternative to the city
\nadministration to ease rising population pressures in the city.<\/p>\n
\"The city administration can carry out revitalization of the
\ncoast, but not reclamation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that Jakarta could cooperate with the Banten
\nadministration to build new business centers and apartments in
\nthe neighboring province to anticipate the increasing population
\nof the capital.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp8nabiel-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}