23 hectares of swamp disappear

23 hectares of swamp disappear

PALEMBANG: Over 23 hectares of wetland in Palembang have been
illegally reclaimed, the head of Palembang's public works office,
Kira Tarigan, said on Friday. The wetland areas had been drained
without permits, and many were being used for building purposes.

"We'll keep monitoring the situation," Tarigan said. "For
those who have not bothered to get reclamation permits, we will
refuse to issue them with building permits."

The reclamation work was in contravention of local regulation
No. 13/2002, and violators faced fines of up to Rp 5 million
(US$550) and/or six months in jail.-- JP