Reclamation project will make fishermen's life harder
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Engkos Kusnadi has little idea why the government is planning 2,500 hectares of coastal areas to the north of Jakarta. But he does know that his life would be much harder once implemented, as it could cut into his fishing areas.
"Fishing is the only job I know. I only graduated from elementary school. I couldn't get any other job. So, I will remain a fisherman although the reclamation will make it harder for me," said Engkos Kusnadi, 32, a small fisherman in the Marunda coastal area in North Jakarta.
Engkos was commenting on the plan by the City Administration to reclaim some 2,500 hectares of coastal land which is currently covered by sea water and to revitalize some 2,700 hectares of coastal areas in North Jakarta.
He is among thousands of fishermen who will be affected by the reclamation project spanning 32 kilometers from Bekasi to Tangerang. In Marunda, North Jakarta, alone, there are some 1,000 families whose lives depend on the sea.
As a small fishermen, Engkos can earn, on average, Rp 200,000 per month from fishing to support five members of his family.
He has three children, one still in elementary school, another in junior high school and a daughter who dropped out after junior high.
There is no clear data on the total number of fishermen who work in the areas off of North Jakarta, but according to data from the Forum for Coastal, Sea, and Island Communities (Formas P2LK), there are some 3,000 fishing boats used by between two and six fishermen in the coastal area.
Similar comments came from Tiswa, 32, a fisherman who works the sea off of Cilincing subdistrict in North Jakarta.
Tiswa, who has a relatively large wooden boat measuring some 8 meters long and 2.5 meters wide, said the reclamation project would negatively affect his job.
"I might have to find other places to fish if the sea here (Cilincing) is filled in. But that means, my catches could be not as good as here," said Tiswa, who can earn between Rp 200,000 and Rp 1 million per month.
The fishermen will not be the only people to be affected by the project. Tens of thousands of other residents in the area will be also be seriously affected by the likely environmental and economic impacts.
Abdillah, 59, a former bus driver who resides in Marunda, said that the reclamation project would push them out of their home. "I'm afraid that I will not get fair compensation for my land as I do not have proper documents," he said, adding that with the compensation he probably could not buy a new house in another place.
"I have been here since the 1960s. I am not sure if I can afford a new house if I have to move from here as usually the compensation is very low," said Abdillah.
Abdullah, 62, a former fisherman, who lives in Cilincing subdistrict, said that he did not oppose any development program if it was aimed at improving the people's welfare.
However, he said that there were numerous examples where the common people became victims of large-scale projects such as this rather than gain any benefit from it. "If the reclamation and revitalization project proceeds as planned, I can only hope that we do not become another victim of a development program," he added.
The reclamation project is part of the City Administration's plan to develop the coastal area into commercial areas.
The area would be allocated for luxury homes, hotels, condominiums, an industrial zone, a port area, business centers, super shopping malls, offices, and recreation areas.
Originally, the reclamation plan was based on the Presidential Decree No 52 issued in 1995 by former president Soeharto and the Jakarta Bylaw No. 8/1995. But the project did not get off the ground due to the economic crisis which hit the country in 1997.
Executive Chairman of the Jakarta Waterfront Implementation Board Mochamad Sidarta, who is responsible for the project, estimated that the project would need some Rp 20 trillion and would be implemented in stages for 30 years.
Many officials and environmentalists have expressed their concern over the project as they said it would mean social and environmental problems, including worsening floods in the city.