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)