Salt water enters Semarang

Salt water enters Semarang

SEMARANG, Central Java: Loss of mangroves, rampant sand
quarrying and excessive ground water exploitation have caused sea
water to intrude deep into the capital city, an academic said on
Saturday.

"In some areas near the coast, the ground water is too salty
to consume," head of the Center for Environmental Research at the
University of Diponegoro, Sudharto P. Hadi, said.

He warned that the intrusion of sea water would worsen unless
the local government moved to control exploitation of ground
water, especially by industry.

He said salt water had penetrated as far as five kilometers
into the city, Antara reported. (rms)