Stop logging in Nias: Councillor<\/p>\n
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Speaker of Nias Legislative Council
\nAli Amran Tanjung urged the Nias administration on Sunday to
\ntemporarily stop rampant logging on the island to help halt the
\nrapid rate of deforestation, blamed as the main reason behind the
\nrecent major floods.<\/p>\n
"It's time for the Nias administration to issue a policy
\nordering logging to stop, otherwise it's feared that a similar
\ndisaster will recur," Ali Amran told The Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
According to data at the Nias Disaster Task Force, the death
\ntoll from the disaster, which severely hit six districts --
\nLahusa, Lolowa'u, Telukdalam, Lolomatua, Gomo and Bawolato --
\nsince Tuesday, reached 72, as of Sunday evening, with 187 people
\nmissing and at least 644 houses, five school buildings, three
\nchurches and four bridges destroyed.<\/p>\n
The number of victims will likely increase in line with the
\nevacuation work currently being carried out.<\/p>\n
Nias Regent Binahati D. Bahea said that assistance in the form
\nof food and medicine had started arriving in Nias from central
\ngovernment, the province of North Sumatra and military and
\ncivilian institutions.<\/p>\n
"Besides food and medicine, the victims are badly in need of
\nclothes and blankets as those who have survived wear only the
\nclothes that they have on them," Bahea said, as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Ali Amran said that deforestation was allowed to take place in
\nNias because the local administration had failed to adequately
\ncontrol indiscriminate logging in the area.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that the stoppage of logging had to take place
\nas soon as possible because the Nias administration had never
\nreprimanded those businessmen guilty of heavily exploiting the
\nexisting wood resources.<\/p>\n
"It seems as if the regent of Nias has allowed these practices
\nto continue the way they always were," he said.<\/p>\n
The Post, which tried to check Ali Amran's statements to
\nBahea, could not reach him on Sunday.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin had instructed the
\nregent, during a meeting with flood victims, to take stern action
\nagainst those businessmen backing illegal logging. The governor
\nvisited the flood-hit areas on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Nias, according to Prie Supriadi, head of the North Sumatra
\nforestry office, had been classified by the Minister of Forestry
\nin 1999 as one of the most critical areas of the country.<\/p>\n
Despite this classification, however, not a single
\nreforestation program had so far been introduced by the central
\ngovernment in the area, Prie said.<\/p>\n
Due to a lack of reforestation funds, Prie said that the North
\nSumatra forestry office had only managed to finance the
\nreforestation of 50 hectares in Nias over the past two years.<\/p>\n
This is far from enough to cover the entire critical area,
\nwhich covers 160,016 hectares, he said, adding that replanting
\nall of Nias' critical area would need billions of rupiah as
\nreforesting just one-hectare of land costs at least Rp 1.5
\nmillion (US$157.8).<\/p>\n
Ali Amran explained that, of the six flood-hit districts, Gomo
\nand Lahusa had experienced a golden age between 1997 and 1998,
\nwhen patchouli oil produced from the area fetched up to Rp 1.2
\nmillion per kilogram.<\/p>\n
The high prices made the two districts the center of rupiah
\ncirculation in Nias, he said. Therefore, many local people
\ncompeted to convert existing forest into plantation areas to
\nsupport the ever-increasing patchouli oil production.<\/p>\n
The rampant conversion of forest for plantation purposes was
\nunfortunately backed by greedy businessmen, who exploited the
\nlocal people without considering the future effects of their
\nactions, he said.<\/p>\n
Ali Amran said that there were at least three patchouli oil
\nproducing companies that had exploited the forests for years
\nwithout considering the importance of the surrounding
\nenvironment. "Despite their widespread conduct, though, they have
\nnever been reprimanded by the authorities," he said. (42\/hhr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stop-logging-in-nias-councillor-1447893297",
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