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)