No more digging in N. Bandung

No more digging in N. Bandung

BANDUNG, West Java: The West Java administration has barred housing developers from tapping ground water in North Bandung, which has been designated as a vital water catchment area.

Governor R. Nuriana said on Wednesday that the administration has also stopped issuing new building licenses in the area.

Developers who are already in possession of building permits would be allowed to continue with their projects, but they will first have to supply the administration with an environmental impact report, Nuriana said.

The developers must also state how they intend to channel water supplies to the houses they are building without tapping ground water, he said.

North Bandung has seen rapid development in the last few years with bungalows, mansions and luxury real estate proliferating, in spite of the administration's pronouncement that the area should be preserved for water catchment purposes.

Administration officials said that in the past they had not been able to reject applications for building permits because politically powerful figures were behind the projects. (emb)