Sand quarrying near Laki island questioned

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)