Analysis on Kapuk given to governor

JAKARTA (JP): PT Mandira Permai, developer of the Pantai Indah Kapuk waterfront complex, handed over its environmental impact study on the project to Governor Surjadi Soedirdja yesterday.

The study was handed over by Budi Nurwono, the company's director, during a meeting at City Hall.

"The study, prepared by PT Reptikon and revised by the Environmental Impact Analysis Commission, was finished on May 5. Today it was given to the governor," Budi said.

"At the end of this month we are scheduled to sign a written agreement which will enable us to handle the project," he said, referring to an undertaking the company is required to give that the project will be carried out in accordance with the findings of the study. The agreement will enable the city administration to act if the developer fails to fulfill its obligations.

Thirty-one parts of the study were amended by the commission and the developer has to comply with the revised version, Budi said.

The Pantai Indah Kapuk waterfront project, parts of which are already under construction, has been accused of causing flooding of the toll road which leads to Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Critics say the flooding has been caused by the reclamation, by PT Mandara Permai, of a nearby swamp area. It is also feared that the project will damage a protected mangrove forest in North Jakarta.

"In order to prevent flooding of the toll road, right now PT Mandara is constructing a two-kilometer ditch," Budi said.

"We have also appointed Nedeco, a consulting firm from the Netherlands, to handle the water management of the project. We all know that the Netherlands has a lot of experience in managing water," he said.

Budi said that the governor had underlined the importance of constructing a flood-control system.

"The flood-control system will be finished by the end of this year at the latest," Budi said.

The Pantai Indah Kapuk waterfront complex is located on 800 hectares of land. Forty percent of the area is earmarked for the construction of a housing complex, while the remainder is to be used for open spaces, including a golf course.(31)