Reclamation may cause more floods
Reclamation may cause more floods
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An expert witness from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
(BMG), Paulus Winarso, told a hearing at the State Administrative
Court on Wednesday that the planned reclamation of parts of the
North Jakarta coastline would increase flooding in the
metropolis.
Paulus was presented as an expert witness for the Office of
the State Minister for the Environment in the case between the
minister and the Jakarta administration, which is being heard by
the State Administrative Court in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta.
Temperatures were tending to increase, and dry and wet
extremes were becoming more pronounced globally, meaning that the
dry season was becoming more prolonged and the rainy season
shorter, but with heavier rainfall while it lasted, he said.
"The extent of the flooding is showing a tendency to increase
year by year," Paulus said. In the 1996 floods, the water did not
reach the presidential palace but in 2002 even this supposedly
invulnerable area was flooded.
"Where will all the water go if the reclamation project goes
ahead, other than flooding other areas," he said.
About 330 million cubic meters of sand will be used to reclaim
the coastline and the equivalent amount of water would displaced
to other places.
It would also take longer for the water coming from Bogor,
Puncak and its surroundings in West Java to reach the sea, said
the expert.
The floods caused by the proposed project would hit "not only
Jakarta, but also Banten and parts of West Java," Paulus
confirmed.
The Jakarta administration wants to reclaim 2,700 hectares of
the city's northern shore for the construction of luxury homes,
hotels and industrial zones. The State Minister for the
Environment, Nabiel Makarim, issued Decree No. 14/2003 refusing
permission for the plan in February.
The decree was based on a recommendation of the Central
Environmental Impact Analysis Commission, which assessed the
environmental impact documents submitted by Water Front City
Management (PB Pantura).
The assessment found that the planned reclamation project
would cause an increase in sea level of 12 centimeters, worsen
pollution in the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) regency,
damage the marine ecosystem and cause thousands of fishermen to
lose their livelihoods.
The city responded by setting up a new environmental impact
commission to assess the original impact documents and report to
the Jakarta Environmental Impact Agency (Bapedalda). Only
Bapedalda's approval is needed as the project is located within
three miles of the existing coastline, the city claims.
The administration then filed a law suit via six companies
against the minister's office to force it to annul the decree.
The lawyers from the Amir Syariffudin and Associates law firm,
who represent the city, questioned Paulus about the role of the
areas surrounding Jakarta in relation to the floods that affect
the city.
"Rainfall in Jakarta contributes 60 percent of the excess
water while water from Bogor and Puncak contributes the other 40
percent," answered Paulus.
The hearing was adjourned to Dec. 10 to hear the opinions of
other experts for the office of the state minister.