No halt in sight in Seribu Islands sand quarrying

No halt in sight in Seribu Islands sand quarrying

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja said uncontrolled sand quarrying in the Seribu
Islands would most likely continue as long as there was no
alternative building material.

Sarwono was referring yesterday to the dilemma of expanding
the city to provide land for housing millions of families, and
preserving the environment.

"Where else would the sand come from?" he remarked when
questioned about environmental damage in the Seribu Islands.

"This is a question of resource management," he said. "As long
as there is no alternative building material developed it
(harmful activities) will continue."

If one area was protected sand quarrying would only continue
and cause damage in another place, Sarwono said.

It was reported last week that six islands had vanished in the
Seribu Islands, while North Jakarta Mayor Suprawito said the last
time an island disappeared was in 1991.

Officials insisted the reclamation of 2,700 hectares for
Jakarta's waterfront development would be conducted in such a way
that would not hurt the environment. However officials have
acknowledged the damage caused by sand quarrying, reportedly by
companies working outside the plans.

But residents in the Seribu Islands, such as those on Untung
Jawa island, said earlier sand quarrying near their island had
led to larger waves and a reduction of their coast.

Sarwono added that jurisdictional divisions used to be enough
to control projects.

"But the environment does not recognize such divisions," he
said.

He added that if the city had succeeded in controlling sand
quarrying permits, the same might not be the case with the West
Java administration.

"Sand quarrying in West Java also has an impact on the Seribu
Islands," he said. The Seribu Islands falls within the North
Jakarta mayoralty and is a border area with Tangerang.

The City Council's head of Commission D for development
affairs, Bandjar Marpaung, has repeated his earlier appeal for
adequate city autonomy.

The head of the city's environmental study and monitoring
center, Ali Rozi, said decentralization was crucial if the city
was to preserve the Seribu Islands.

Bandjar and Ali pointed to overlapping authorities in charge
of the Seribu Islands which include various central and city
offices.

Ali said the central government should be responsible for
damage in the Seribu Islands. But on Saturday, the Ministry of
Mines and Energy announced that since 1985, the issuance of
permits for sand quarrying in the Seribu Islands had rested with
the municipality.

"The city lacks human and financial resources to be self-
independent," Bandjar said. "But once the city is able to manage
itself, the central government should let the city manage its own
affairs."

This was in line with a 1990 law on the city as the country's
capital, he added. (aan/11)