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)