Medan expands northward

Medan expands northward

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Medan's master city plan dictates that the city must expand along the coastline to the north for the sake of conserving the water catchment areas in the west and south.

Mayor Bahtiar Djafar said Medan wanted to avoid the mistake that Jakarta had made in realizing too late the importance of protecting its ground water resources, the Antara news agency reported.

Bahtiar, who is scheduled to complete his term as mayor in April, said the city's master plan had been drafted to guide development for the next 20 years.

"It's got nothing to do with the fact that I come from the northern part of the city," Bahtiar said, referring to rumors that he had a personal interest in pushing for expansion to the north.

The city had already invested some Rp 200 billion ($95 million) in infrastructure to promote the northern expansion under the Medan Urban Development Project, he added.

The project includes the construction of drainage systems, a ring road, and the expansion of the industrial zones.

The southern and eastern areas of Medan are reserved exclusively for residential development. Houses built in these areas are subject to strict criteria, one of which is that they can only build on 20 percent of the allocated area. (emb)