Rp 350b to rid Barito of silt

Rp 350b to rid Barito of silt

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: About Rp 350 billion is needed
to remove millions of cubic meters of silt which has built up
along Indonesia's longest river, the Barito, a local official
said Saturday.

Without the fund there will be no permanent solution to the
problem and silt will continue to accumulate in the river, head
of the provincial development planning board, Ismet Ahmad, said
as quoted by Antara.

Ahmad said dredging the river was only a temporary solution.

The province spends about Rp 5 billion a year on dredging,
which manages to scoop out only half of the five million cubic
meters of silt that builds up in the river annually, he said.

During the present fiscal year, Rp 8 billion was allotted for
dredging projects.

He said the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) once
studied the river's siltation and recommended ways to free it of
silt but nothing was done due to a lack of funds.

Recently, another group, Dutch Environmental Technology
Consultants, did its own research on the river and also
recommended a permanent solution which will cost about Rp 350
billion, Ahmad said.

Barito River, which flows between South Kalimantan and Central
Kalimantan, plays a strategic role in the development of the two
provinces. (mds)