Sampang may sink next century

Sampang may sink next century

JAKARTA (JP): Future residents of Sampang, East Java, may well
have to learn to keep their heads above water as regency
officials warn the town could be submerged in the next century.

The head of the forestry and conservation office of Sampang
regency, Budi Yudji, said the prospect was a real likelihood
unless something was done about the problem of erosion and
management of seawater.

"Based on scientific analysis, we cannot disregard the
possibility of Sampang sinking in the next 100 years, because the
strutter and character of the land is difficult to absorb water,"
Budi was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.

Sampang, a town of about 700,000 people, is located on the
eastern tip of Madura Island.

He explained that Sampang was always inundated during the
rainy season with between one meter to two meters of water
flowing from the surrounding hills.

Forestration efforts had helped curb the degradation of the
land, but he deemed these efforts to be slow.

He said more long term and strategic efforts should be made to
ensure that the water from the surrounding hills flowed unimpeded
to the sea.

"If possible, dams should also be built to help control the
floods because they also brings mudslides, making the whole area
and the river even more shallow," he said.