Riau Islands to resume sand export

Riau Islands to resume sand export

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

Riau Islands provincial government is planning to lobby Minister
of Trade Mari Elka Pangestu to allow local businessmen to resume
exporting sand from the sea, a top government official said on
Wednesday. The provincial government would also soon draft a
bylaw that regulates the business.

"Riau Islands has vast sea sand resources and that potential
shall be explored for the benefit of our community. If the
business is revived, it can enhance provincial revenue and offer
prosperity to all," said Riau Islands Governor ad interim Ismeth
Abdullah.

The plan was made a year after the central government banned
exporting sand in the Riau Islands and Riau provinces. The
policy, which was launched in January last year, was aimed at
prohibiting sea sand exploration and exports from those two
provinces to the neighboring country of Singapore, which needed
the sand to reclaim land.

The activities have been blamed for damaging the environment
in the provinces. Several islets there are under serious threat
of disappearing due to erosion as protective sand barriers are
removed. The sand mining will also threaten coral reefs and
marine ecosystem.

There is also concern that there will be a possibility that
the sea border between the two countries will cut further into
what is now Indonesian territory if the islets between the two
countries disappear.

The last concern was that Singapore used Riau's sand to expand
the extent of its territory through its coastal reclamation.

Responding to those fears, especially the environmental one,
the governor said that the fears would be addressed in the bylaw.
To avoid environmental damage, for example, the bylaw will spell
out details on, among others, which areas are eligible for sea
sand exploration. The bylaw will also rule on revenue sharing
between the provincial and central government.

A local businessman praised the new plan by the provincial
government. Businessman Achmad Dedi said that he had already
obtained a license from the Riau Islands government in 2002 to
explore sand from the sea in an area in the province, but the
license was suddenly revoked following the central government's
decision a year later that banned the business.

There are hundreds of license holders in the province, so that
if the ban is lifted, sand exporting would thrive in the
province, said Dedi.

However, the plan was opposed by local councillor, who said
that the business had damaged the environment.

M. Nabil, a provincial councillor from the National Mandate
Party (PAN), said that there was evidence that the exploration
had damaged the environment, which could be found in Karimun
regency.

"The color of sea in the regency has turned from blue to
brown, due to extensive sea sand mining over the past few
decades," said Nabil.

The sea sand mining in the province began in 1976, but the
discovery of technology over the past few years had made sand
mining more extensive. The extensive mining was also attributed
to aggressive land reclamation by Singapore companies. Singapore
paid only US$1.5 per cubic meter.

"Sand mining business is not the only solution. The government
can enhance provincial revenue from many other ways," said Nabil.