Beach reclamation

Beach reclamation

From Kompas

I refer to the article by Head of the Research and Development Center of the Department of Public Works (Kompas, Aug. 8, 1995) concerning the dredging of Jakarta's beaches. The writer said that this could cause a tsunami -- I disagree.

A tsunami is a "gravity wave" that can reach up to hundreds of meters in height and can occur every five to 90 minutes. Tsunamis can be caused by earthquakes, underwater volcano eruptions, nuclear tests and the fall of a large meteor.

However, I fully agree with him that beach reclamation activities such as dredging must be preceded by careful feasibility studies so as not to cause a negative impact on our beaches.

DEDE YULIADI

Jakarta