Residents complain about Tangerang sand quarrying

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): Residents of the Gintung village in the district of Mauk have been futilely complaining about illegal sand quarrying which started one month ago.

The excavation site which is between 10 and 12 meters in depth and covers an area of two hectares was formerly rice fields. The residents claim the quarrying will eventually cause environmental damage.

"The rice fields in Mauk are all located in technically- irrigated areas. Therefore, sand quarrying is against the land use permit," M. Adul, a villager told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The trucks transporting the sand from the area have apparently damaged local roads, he said.

Another inhabitant, Mail, said that the large holes left by excavating could cause landslides which could be dangerous to local villagers.

"The illegal project has been going on for one month. We wonder why the authorities have not stopped it?" Mail quipped.

The head of Mauk village was not available for comment. His staff said yesterday that the village head was unavailable.

Ena Karlina, the head of the information office at the Tangerang regency, confirmed that the sand quarrying is illegal. "According to Presidential Decree No. 33/1990 the area is designated for technically-irrigated fields," she said.

"The regent has instructed the district and village head to stop the sand quarrying. We've been waiting for their reports," she said. "The regency will not condone any illegal activities."

A worker at the quarrying site said the boss of the sand mining is a local resident, identified only as JH. "He rarely visits the site. You cannot see him at his residence. He is a busy man," Arif, the worker said.

According to Arif, around 50 workers have been hired to quarry the sand. "Today there are only 30 people, who can produce around 30 trucks of sand," he said.

Another worker, Ririn, said a truck of sand sells for Rp 130,000. (21/sur)