Residents rail against project's pollution, noise

Residents rail against project's pollution, noise

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Bendungan Hilir subdistrict in
Central Jakarta are objecting to the pollution emanating from
construction work on the upbeat Park Royale apartment complex
being developed by PT Sari Lembah Hijau.

The residents lodged their protest with the city' agency for
the supervision of development projects, saying that the
construction work was too noisy and was generating excessive air
pollution.

"The company is carrying on the construction work 24 hours a
day, causing noise. And this is disturbing the residents.
Besides, the piling work shakes our houses continuously," Rio
Tambunan, one of the residents, told reporters yesterday.

He added that the dust from the project was polluting the air
in the neighborhood to such an extent that residents were having
difficulty keeping their houses clean.

Rio said the residents were also worried about the possibility
of an accident because the arm of the project's giant crane was
operating above the residential area.

Since the project began, Rio said, wells in the area have been
drying up and the quality of the water has deteriorated so much
that it can no longer be used.

The residents also complained about both the quantity and
quality of water supplied by PAM Jaya, the city-owned water
company. The developer provided PAM water to alleviate the
effects of the project on the water supply.

"The quality and quantity of water supplied by the company is
too low. Besides, the pipe system is not permanently installed,"
Rio said. He added that, since the project began, the residents
have not been able to receive television transmission clearly.

The residents also complained that the fences erected around
the building site had narrowed Jl. Bendungan Taman Asahan and
that many of the project's vehicles parked in the street, adding
to traffic congestion.

About 55 families live immediately behind the site of the
project, which is not due to be completed until 1997.

Meanwhile, the company's public relations manager Rudy
Sumoprawiro said that the project had obtained all the requisite
permits from the city agency which supervises development
projects.

"The company has all the permits needed for the project, so it
is a legal activity, but we intend to settle the problem through
talks sponsored by the agency," he said.

He refused to comment further on the protest, saying that the
matter was being handled by the agency and that it would be
better for the parties to settle the matter in that forum.

An official of the agency said that the office had already
received similar complaints from the residents and had already
asked its Central Jakarta branch to attend to the problem.

"The office has invited both parties to solve the problem. The
talks will take place on Friday (this week)," said Darmaji, of
the agency's Central Jakarta branch.(yns)