Coastline erosion a problem, says regent

Coastline erosion a problem, says regent

TANGERANG: Regent Ismet Iskandar acknowledged over the weekend
his office had yet to take any measures to stop continued erosion
along the north coast of Tangerang.

"We cannot stop the offshore sand mining; we have tried but to
no avail. We need the central government to step in on this
matter," he said.

He said his office had been able to stop companies based in
Jakarta from mining sand on and near the shore. "But since they
moved offshore we have been unable to stop their activities
because our jurisdiction only extends 200 meters from the
coastline."

Ismet added that a huge amount of money would be needed to
curb the erosion, but most of the regency's annual budget had
been allotted for roadwork. -- JP