'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.