Six islets vanish near Jakarta

Six islets vanish near Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Six islands in the Thousand Islands chain in
North Jakarta have disappeared and sand quarriers may well be
partly responsible, an environmental official said yesterday.

Hamar Martono, a fourth assistant of the environment minister,
said the six islands were Pulau Ubi, Pulau Damar, Pulau Nirwana,
Pulau Dapur and Pulau Laki.

Sand from the six missing islands was believed to have been
used in the construction of the city's Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport in 1985, he said.

The situation further deteriorated due to sand being taken for
the many reclamation projects currently underway in North
Jakarta, he said.

This could lead to the disappearance of other islands as well,
he told The Jakarta Post before donating 30,000 liters of clean
water to the residents of Pulau Pramuka and Pulau Panggang, which
have been hit hardest by the current water crisis.

"Islands cannot be made. Once destroyed, they are gone and you
never get them back," Hamar said.

While not opposed to the reclamation projects, Hamar said the
islands were crucial barriers protecting Jakarta from possible
tidal waves.

"If we lost the Thousand Islands, the city would lose its
protector. The future waterfront city cannot possibly hold back
tidal waves," he said.

Two of the missing, Pulau Laki and Pulau Nyamuk, were known as
transit sites for and home to many bird species.

The 1.18 million-square-meter Thousand Islands area is home to
16,000 residents and divided into four subdistricts: Tidung
Island, Kelapa Island, Untung Jawa Island and Panggang Island.

Hamar expressed concern over the official agreements issued by
some agencies for the sand quarrying.

"I don't know whether they realize how big the trouble is that
they've caused in this area. Remember, environmental impacts
never strike you directly. It takes years to evolve and the next
generation will definitely suffer from it," he said.

Sudarsono, the secretary of the environment minister's office,
said that the destruction of the islands caused imbalances in the
environment.

"The disappearance of the islands also destroys the nearby
ecosystem, ranging from mangrove forests and coral reefs to all
the living creatures and their habitat," he said.

Sudarsono urged his colleagues and contractors to learn from
the experience before agreeing to schemes such as the reclamation
project.

"It's important for officials not to be easily tempted by
contractors' lucrative offers for the issuance of the sand
quarrying permits, which usually end up in the destruction of the
environment."

He said that the government agencies involved in the
reclamation and other development projects should make sure that
developers do not take building materials, such as sand, from the
Thousand Islands.

"Unchecked sand quarrying is a major environmental hazard in
the islands. So it's up to the authorities, contractors and the
decision makers in any project, especially ones that will affect
the environment, to obey and follow the rules," Sudarsono said.

Under the new environmental bill, any parties that create
potential dangers to the environment face 20 years imprisonment
and up to Rp 750 million (US$265,000) in fines. (07)