North coast reclamation proceeds

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ignoring environmentalists' protests, the city administration has decided to proceed with plans to reclaim and "revitalize" 5,200 hectares of sea and coastal land in north Jakarta.

Jakarta Waterfront Management Board executive chairman M. Sidarta said the reclamation of 2,500 hectares of sea and the revitalization of 2,700 hectares of coastal land was a significant attempt to improve environmental conditions in the area.

"The reclamation project is not only aimed at tapping the economic potential, but it is also part of efforts to improve environmental conditions in the area," Sidarta said at a round table discussion here on Friday.

Sidarta argued that the government had no money to prevent or fix environmental damage along the city's 32-kilometer coastline and therefore needed the private sector to manage it.

He said that without the reclamation project, environmental problems like erosion of the coastline as well as social problems in the area would continue.

Sidarta said the reclaimed areas would be used for housing, industrial estates, seaports and other business centers.

Forum for Coastal Areas Society chairman Didit Eko Y said the reclamation project would cause massive environmental and social damage.

Didit said the environmental impact included the destruction of the mangrove ecosystem along the coast and the possibility of increasing the severity of the devastating floods in the capital.

He also expressed concerns the 200 million cubic meters of land and sand needed for the reclamation project would likely be sourced from the nearby Kepulauan Seribu causing destruction to many of the beautiful tropical islands.

He said the impact on the people would be severe as many residents, mostly poor fishermen, would be evicted from their houses as only the rich would be able live in the reclaimed areas.