Govt to revamp spatial planning for Java

Govt to revamp spatial planning for Java

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government will issue a regulation on spatial planning in
Java in a bid to minimize environmental damage on the densely
populated island.

Minister of Regional Infrastructure and Resettlement Soenarno
said on Monday the regulation would restrict conversion of
farmland, plantations and forests into construction projects.

"We have recorded that some one million hectares of these
types of land have been converted into construction projects,
which causes massive environmental damage on the island,"
Soenarno said after a limited Cabinet meeting at the presidential
palace.

"With the regulation we expect to claim back around 20 percent
of the converted land for the environment's sake," the minister
said. The regulation is meant to regain the ideal 30 percent
proportion of conservation area on the island.

He acknowledged that the decision would hurt several
investments on the island as the regulation would force the
government to review the contracts of several projects.

However, the minister claimed that almost 50 percent of the
projects had not materialized, mostly due to financial
restraints.

"We've learned that almost 50 percent of the house permits on
the island have not been issued, which opens the possibility of
revision," he said.

The regulation, slated to be issued later this month, will
also ban further road construction along the northern coast of
Java, which is a rice belt, but recommend construction to move to
the south, which has less farmland.

Floods, landslides and other natural disasters resulting from
environmental destruction have hit the main island of the country
in past years. The latest major floods occurred in the West Java
towns of Garut and Kuningan less than two weeks ago, claiming at
least 30 lives.

The destruction of forests, farms and plantations on Java has
reached an alarming level, with the land conversion rate up to
30,000 hectares annually.

Soenarno said the banks of 20 out of 22 rivers on the island
had been damaged and needed rehabilitating to prevent further
destruction.

Earlier this year, the disaster mitigation agency warned that
more floods and landslides were likely to hit the island due to
environmental damage.

"We have to immediately save the environment, and the
regulation will require all local administrations to comply with
the arrangement," the minister said.

To support the regulation, President Megawati Soekarnoputri
has ordered the State Secretariat to review all laws and
regulations regarding spatial planning.

During the Cabinet meeting, the government also decided to
issue a presidential decree regarding spatial planning in 10
border areas of the country.

"With clear mapping we could prevent violations by foreigners,
who take advantage of our natural resources in those areas," he
said.