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)