Controversy over Ladia Galaska goes on
Controversy over Ladia Galaska goes on
Nani Farida and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta
An off-the-cuff comment by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on the construction of a highway cutting through Aceh's virgin forests has spurred controversy.
Legislator Erwin Pardede said the construction of the 500- kilometer Ladia Galaska highway was necessary to boost the economy of the conflict-ridden province.
"Economic development in Indonesia must also be enjoyed by the Acehnese. The highway project must continue," said the legislator of Commission IV for settlement and infrastructure on Monday.
Erwin, a member of Megawati's Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle, said the highway would become the backbone of development in Aceh, the troubled westernmost province with a separatist history that dates back to 1976.
"It's very strange if an infrastructure project is halted for environmental reasons," he said.
Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh and Minister of Settlement and Infrastructure Soenarno convinced Megawati on Sunday that the road project was necessary to end the isolation of rural residents of the province.
The Leuser Management Unit, which was formed by the government and the European Union to protect the Leuser ecosystem, has suggested several alternative routes.
Megawati visited the war-torn province as part of her week- long whirlwind national tour with less than a month to go until the legislative election.
During the visit, Megawati, who was not scheduled to inaugurate the highway, approved the project after Puteh raised the issue on Sunday on the sidelines of the inauguration of several other projects.
"I've been condemned as a president who is neglectful of the environment. If people asked me about my preference between human beings and the environment, I would answer that I care for both of them," she said.
Megawati said she approved the development of the road except for the 46-kilometer section stretching from Pinding to Lokop, as it cut through the Leuser National Reserve Park.
She proposed that a fence be built along the road to preserve the forests, a suggestion dismissed by environmentalists as not feasible.
In Banda Aceh, a researcher said each kilometer of the road would incur financial losses of up to Rp 74 billion, due to damaged water and forest resources.
The figure did not include possible financial losses from floods or landslides, nor from damages to the rich biodiversity of the protected forest.
Indonesia Greenomics predicted financial losses of up to Rp 1.03 trillion due to deforestation, possible floods, landslides and draught.
"I suggest that the highway project be halted. It's too risky," said Canadian Development Agency's Jamal Gawi, who is involved in the preservation of the Leuser ecosystem.
Each kilometer of road constructed in the area has the potential to harm 400 to 2,400 hectares of forest.
Jamal suggested that the government re-route the road to avoid possible damage to a 164-kilometer length of protected forest area, including 46 kilometers belonging to the national park.
Hasjrul Junaid, from an alliance of non-governmental organizations against the Ladia Galaska road project, concurred with Jamal.
"If the government plans to increase the residents' livelihood, they must re-route the road to connect more villages instead of carving up the forest," he said.
Environmentalists have warned that constructing the road in the virgin forest is risky, as the area is prone to landslides from the naturally steep Leuser ecosystem, where the soil is unstable. In addition, the annual rainfall in the area is high, reaching 2,100 to 5,100 millimeters.
In December, a landslide occurred on the Jeuram-Beutong Ateuh road, which comprises part of Ladia Galaska's main route.