Environmental damage

Environmental damage

From Bisnis Indonesia

President Soeharto recently approved a plan for the reclamation of 2500 hectares of land along the north coast of Jakarta. According to the Jakarta Administration, the aim of the reclamation program is to preserve more land in the midst of continuous economic growth. The government believes that the city can only expanded northwards.

In fact, the reclamation plan is a result of successful bargaining and lobbying by a few entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs say that reclamation is a cheap way to obtain land in Jakarta.

It should be noted that reclamation will inevitably destroy the coastal habitat. The Pantai Indah Kapuk project, owned by tycoon Liem Sioe Liong, and the Mutiara Coast project, owned by Go Ka Him, are still fresh in our minds. They have destroyed the mangrove forests and caused the flooding of the Sedyatmo toll road.

Because the reclamation project has not begun, I hope the government will consider environmental matters carefully in the interest of the next generation.

ATMA NITISUPRAWIRO

Jakarta