Minister urges people to reject reclamation plan
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim has urged Jakarta residents to reject the plan to reclaim the northern part of the city as it could cause worse floods.
"If the reclamation plan is implemented it will be another repetition of mistakes that were rampant in the past," Nabiel told a seminar on the conversion of green areas early this week.
He was referring to the city administration's plan to convert some 2,700 hectares along the shore line from Tanjung Priok to Angke Kapuk in North Jakarta, into a waterfront area.
"If we cannot regreen the areas that designated as green areas, then we shouldn't convert the existing ones. It will only worsen environmental damage," he added.
As land-use violations have continued in the city, Jakarta's green areas now equal only 9.38 percent of its total area, far from the ideal state of 30 percent.
The green areas converted into commercial areas include Pantai Indah Kapuk and Kelapa Gading housing complexes in North Jakarta, Hotel Mulia and Pondok Indah Hospital in South Jakarta, and Taman Anggrek Mall and condominiums in West Jakarta.
Division head of the strategic study for city planning at the city planning agency, Rudi Tambunan, explained that the legal basis of the reclamation plan is Bylaw No. 8/1996 on the reclamation of Jakarta's northern coastal areas.
He said that the design of the reclamation has been made by considering the environmental impact in the area.
Rudi said that the management of the northern coastal area reclamation board, which is in charge of implementing the plan, is now seeking recommendation from the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal).
Chairman of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi)'s Jakarta chapter, Ahmad Safrudin, concurred, saying that floods in Jakarta would worsen if the plan is implemented.
"If the reclamation plan is implemented, more areas in Sunter, Penjaringan and other parts of the northern coastal area would be inundated during the rainy season because the development of the waterfront area will increase concreted areas there and therefore reduce water catchment areas," Ahmad told The Jakarta Post.
Ahmad said that the city administration was inspired by a similar project in Singapore. The area is to be converted into a waterfront city which will become a modern business center in the capital.
He added that the reclamation plan could not be compared to land reclamation in Singapore, which was environmentally friendly.
He said that the environmental damage in the area would worsen the floods in the city and have socioeconomical impacts on local residents.
"Benefits of the project may be less compared to the losses incurred as a result of environmental damage," he said, adding that Bapedal should consider the environmental issue before deciding to approve the project.
Executive director of Urban Regional Development Institute (Urdi) Wicaksono Saroso said that many other countries had reclaimed land but they took into consideration the environmental impact and the urgency of the projects.
"Will the project benefit most Jakarta residents or it will only benefit a handful of the elite?" he told the Post.