Expert upbeat on North Jakarta reclamation project

JAKARTA (JP): An expert on environmental law said he was upbeat that the reclamation project in North Jakarta will be in line with environmental standards.

Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri pointed to the openness of the municipality in inviting various experts to contribute their opinions on the subject.

"Experts from several disciplines should speak up on problems (related to the project) and provide alternatives," Koesnadi said.

Koesnadi was speaking during a break of a one-day discussion yesterday on reclamation plans in Jakarta Bay. The talks were held by the Association of Alumni from Holland.

Also, Koesnadi said, environmental legislation here is thorough enough to face new developments like reclamation.

He stressed that the project to reclaim 2,700 hectares from Cilincing to Pluit should be strict in following spatial plans.

On Monday, oceanologist Otto Ongkosongo criticized the reclamation project because the gathering of materials used in it, damaged other areas.

Otto, a researcher of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences said the sands and gravels used for the reclamation are taken from beaches at Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands).

"If this is not stopped, the islands' marine environment will be damaged including things like seaweed and mangroves which bind the sand," Otto said in a week-long advanced training course on sea-level changes and the evolution of coastal environment.

Koesnadi and Governor Surjadi Soedirdja separately acknowledged the public's widespread anxiety over the negative effects of reclamation.

"The technology is new," Surjadi said while addressing the forum yesterday. "Naturally, many of us are worried. But if other countries can do it, I do not see why we can't."

The total length of the reclaimed area, 32 kilometers, is to accommodate business, housing and recreation activities, "which are estimated to support 270,000 people in the area," he said.

"We can't go anywhere else, because the buffer zone areas -- Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi (Botabek) -- have already rapidly grown, which needs more control, and the south is reserved for water catchment areas," Surjadi said.

One-stop service

Meanwhile, the head of the North Jakarta reclamation project, M. Sidarta, said among the problems to be solved are efforts to set up a "one-stop service" for all required permits for companies participating in the reclamation project.

"There are still conflicts of interest among lower levels of the administration," Sidarta said, hinting at tendencies to maintain authority in issuing permits.

When this is solved, said Sidarta, who also chairs the city's mapping agency, the one-stop service will take care of all permits issued by both the municipality and the central government.

Surjadi also called on more companies to join the project, although more than 60 have already registered.

"Opportunities are wide ... we call on large and small enterprises to join," given the wide scope of the project, he said.

Surjadi pointed out that reclamation is also needed to support more and better infrastructure for export activities.

The forum also heard presentations by experts from Holland.

One of the experts, Ronald E. Waterman, said a seabed survey is needed to determine the location of the right type of sand for reclamation.

The search is necessary because gradually, the sand has declined due to human activities such as construction, Waterman said.

The advisor to several government bodies in Holland said suggestions to use a complete polder system as shore protection carries a greater risk of flooding and saltwater intrusion, apart from high costs in continuous operation of pumps. (anr/04)