N. Sumatran activists protest sand mining

N. Sumatran activists protest sand mining

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Activists warned authorities in North Sumatra about the
possibility of environmental damage following a plan to extract
sand from the province's eastern coastal areas to Malaysia and
Singapore, saying it could hasten coastal erosion and consequent
flooding on the mainland.

Rinto, chief of the environmental division of the Medan Legal
Aid Institution (LBH Medan), said he had submitted his
institution's protest on the provincial administration's plan to
extract sand and export it to the two neighboring countries
because it would harm the environment and would not benefit local
people.

"But, so far, no positive response to the protest has been
made, while the provincial administration has even granted
licenses to 10 private companies to quarry sand along the eastern
coastal areas, to be exported to the two countries," he said here
recently.

Rinto contended that the planned sand extraction would
certainly accelerate coastal erosion on the mainland and cause
flooding in coastal areas.

"Many towns and villages, and millions of hectares of
agricultural land and fish ponds along the vast coastal areas
ranging from Langkat in the north to Labuhan Batu in the south
will be under threat should the planned sand extraction go
ahead," he said.

According to The Jakarta Post's information based on enquiries
in the field, the provincial authorities have granted concessions
to ten private companies to extract sand from the coastal areas.

The ten companies are: PT Fendi Murni, PT Nusambada Prata, PT
Mitra Sinar Langkat, PT Obor, PT Cipta Bhakti Kesuma, PT Antartik
Supratanik, PT Reka Karya, PT Gora Gahana, PT Panca Abadi Mitra
and PT Dian Mitra.

Jasnis Sulung, an environmental activist in Tandjung Balai,
Asahan Regency, lambasted the local government's policy, saying
it would produce problems rather than financial benefits for
local people.

"The policy will bring financial benefits to a small group of
businessmen who have secured licenses for sand extraction while a
majority of local people will gain nothing but the negative
impacts such as flooding and environmental damage," he said.

He added that despite the plan, the smuggling of sand from
Labuhan Batu and Asahan Regencies had been prevalent and it would
damage the environment unless it were controlled.

"A major part of the town of Tanjungbalai has been inundated
for more than five months annually since illegal sand extraction
became prevalent along the coastal areas in Asahan Regency," he
said.

Jasnis said hundreds of tons of sand were smuggled each week
to Singapore and Johar in Malaysia at a price of S$1 per cubic
meter.

Nailul Amali, a councillor of the North Sumatra provincial
legislative council, hailed the provincial government's policy
but said it should not damage the environment.

"The provincial administration should assess any negative
impacts of sand extraction on the environment. The government
should only go ahead with the plan if it is subsequently found to
be environmentally feasible," he said.