Reclamation plan for waterfront project rejected
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Based on the results of a recent environmental assessment study, the Office of the State Minister of the Environment issued a decree on Wednesday rejecting the plan to reclaim the northern coastal area of the city.
"Along with the decree the office also suggests the government revoke Presidential Decree No. 52/1995 on the plan as it could worsen environment devastation in the capital," State Minister of the Environment, Nabiel Makarim, told a media conference.
Ministerial Decree No. 14/2003 states that the plan to reclaim the coastal area failed to take into consideration the rise in sea levels and the influence of the rise and fall of tides which would raise river levels.
It means, said Karliansyah from the Regional Environmental Impact Assessment Office, the capital would face worse floods.
The decree also states that the plan also failed to recognize the social and environmental impact of the dredging of at least 330 million cubic meters of sand and soil which would be used to convert the 2,700-hectare area along the shoreline from Tanjung Priok to Angke Kapuk in North Jakarta into a waterfront area.
The assessment, which started in May 2002, also found that the reclamation would increase pollution not only in the whole area of Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) regency but also as far away as Tangerang and Bekasi.
The plan would also disturb the operation of Muara Karang Coal and Gas Power Plants which supply power to the presidential palace, the National Monument (Monas), Jl. Sudirman as well as Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The need for huge amounts of distilled water in the planned area for industry, tourism, business and housing would also cause a scarcity of water in Jakarta.
The plan is under the management of a board called BP Pantura which consists of administration officials and is chaired by the deputy governor for development affairs.
Nabiel's deputy for environmental conservation Liana Bratasida said the new ministerial decree would strengthen the office's rejection of a decree to integrate spatial planning for Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur areas.