'Observatory, environment comes first'
'Observatory, environment comes first'
Riva Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
The plan to develop a tourist resort near the Bosscha Observatory
in Lembang, West Java violates the Lembang land use plan, experts
say.
"Except for its capital, no housing complex is allowed to be
developed in Lembang, let alone a commercial area," said Denny
Zulkaedi, the head of land use department of the Bandung
Institute of Technology, on Wednesday.
The Bandung land use plan designates Lembang as a conservation
and catchment area, he added.
"The Bandung administration is supposed to give serious
thought to the possible impact on both the environment and the
observatory in connection with its plan to allow the development
of a tourism resort there. It must not issue a permit just like
that," Denny said.
He said the authorities should conduct a thorough examination
before issuing permits to develop houses or commercial areas in
conservation areas.
"Moreover, the Bosscha observatory has been there for decades.
The administration should give priority to the observatory,"
Denny added.
Separately, an environmental expert from Padjadjaran
University Otto Soemarwoto blasted the Bandung administration for
allowing the development of a tourist resort in Lembang, saying
that the area has been deforested and may cause natural disasters
such as flood and landslides.
"I don't understand them. They never learn from their
mistakes. Don't they know that Bandung floods every rainy season
due to the deforestation in Lembang?" he was quoted by Antara as
saying.
The State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim earlier
slammed provincial administrations across the country for
violating existing land use plans by issuing a bylaw allowing
commercial projects in conservation areas.
The Bandung administration recently allowed privately owned PT
Baru Adjak to develop 75 hectares of land previously a
conservation area located near Bosscha Observatory into a tourist
site.
Critics have warned that the move would harm the activities of
the observatory and the environment in Lembang and Bandung.
Lembang is located some 1,300 meters above the sea level or
600 meters above Bandung.
Set up in 1923, the historical Bosscha Observatory is the
closest observatory in the world to the equator. It is unique in
its ability to observe the sky to the south of the equator.
Local authorities have already issued a bylaw banning the
construction of houses or buildings within a radius of 2.5
kilometers of the observatory, fearing that lights from those
buildings would disturb its observation of outer space.
The ability of the observatory to observe stars has continued
to decline. It can only observe stars located some 1,500 light
years away from the Earth while 10 years ago it could still
observe those located some 3,000 light years away.