Sand quarrying near Laki island questioned
JAKARTA (JP): Councilors have expressed concern over sand dredging activities near Laki island in the Java Sea for the reclamation of part of the Ancol Timur shoreline, fearing that the activities will severely affect the island.
Bahriyoen Soetjipto, secretary of the City Council's Commission D for development affairs, said yesterday that there is a possibility the activities will cause the island to sink.
"I am afraid the island may sink because when similar activities were conducted to build the Cengkareng airport several years ago, four islands started disappearing," Bahriyoen said during a visit to the reclamation project site in Ancol Timur, North Jakarta.
Romulus Sihombing, a member of the Council's Commission A for government affairs, said that Laki island is one of main islands in the Seribu Island chain.
The island is inhibited by a number of people and is a tourist destination, he said.
The council members visited reclamation projects in North Jakarta yesterday, including in Pluit, Marunda and Ancol Timur, in an effort to obtain better information on land reclamation.
PT Manggala Karya Yudha is currently conducting the first phase of its reclamation project to reclaim a total of 500 hectares of shoreline in Ancol Timur.
A director of Ancol Timur reclamation project, Judiono Tosin, said yesterday that the developer preferred to reclaim the shoreline with sand from the Tanjung Kait area near Laki island because it is much cheaper and more practical than taking sand from elsewhere.
"The sand from Tanjung Kait costs only Rp 14,000 (US$6.36) per cubic meter, as compared to Rp 40,000 per cubic meter from Mount Galunggung, West Java," Judiono said, adding that the sand quarrying location is only 23 miles offshore to the west of the reclamation site.
Judiono assured that the activity would not affect Laki island because of the availability of large quantities of sand in the area.
However, members of the council were not satisfied with Judiono's explanation and expect the developer to explain the case in more detail in the near future.
The Rp 1 trillion reclamation project is being conducted by the developer in cooperation with the state-owned port company PT Pelindo II. The project is expected to be completed within 12 years.
Out of the 500-hectare reclamation project, about 125 hectares will be used by PT Pelindo to expand its port complex, while the remaining 325 hectares will be used by PT Manggala Karya Yudha for the establishment of a business center and residential area.
The city administration is embarking on the large-scale reclamation project along the northern coastline in a bid to obtain an extra 2,700 hectares of land.
Out of the 2,700 hectares, 1,222 hectares will be used for the development of residential areas, 88 hectares as a central business district, 426 hectares for a combination of industrial estates and business center areas, 37 hectares for green areas, 420 hectares for mangrove forests, 136 hectares for port and industrial areas and 371 hectares for other supporting facility sites.
The waterfront city will be divided into three zones: Western zone (from Pluit to Kamal Muara) for housing, Central zone (from Pluit to Koja) for a business district with high-rise housing, East zone (from Koja to Cilincing) for the expansion of the Tanjung Priok port, a business center and low-cost residential area. (yns)