Sutiyoso OKs coast plan redesign

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso agreed on Friday to redesign the planned reclamation of Jakarta's northern coast as demanded earlier by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"I have no problem with that (redesigning). We will cooperate with the State Minister of the Environment (Nabiel Makarim) to improve the plan so we can proceed with the project," Sutiyoso told reporters at the Islamic Center in Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta.

However, Sutiyoso pointed out that the state minister's office should have been aware of the plan that was endorsed in a presidential decree issued in 1995, during the administration of president Soeharto.

"We have conducted the environmental impact analysis on the project in which the ministerial office, of course, was involved," Sutiyoso argued.

Megawati told Sutiyoso to review the plan to reclaim and develop the city's north coast amid concern that the project would cause environmental damage, including flooding in the northern part of the city.

A recent analysis made by Nabiel's office forecast that the project would affect several of the city's rivers where the rivers empty into the sea, because the project would encroach on up to 1.5-kilometer of that area leading to Jakarta Bay. It is feared that this would lead to worsened flooding in the area.

Megawati also required that Sutiyoso involve the environment minister's office in preparing the new plan right from the earliest stages.

The order came because Nabiel's office raised objections to the city administration's reclamation plan, bringing the project to a halt. Companies involved in the project have filed a complaint with the Jakarta Administrative Court to protest the interference of the state minister's office. Early in February, the court ruled in favor of the companies.

The Office of the State Minister for the Environment has appealed and is currently awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court.

In the project worth Rp 20 trillion (US$2.1 billion), Jakarta will reclaim about 2,700 hectares of land on the north coastline and will use the reclaimed land for the construction of a modern port and business center.

Sutiyoso asserted that similar reclamation and development projects have been implemented in many other countries which have "coastal cities".

"There are many types of technology that have been applied. We can adopt one of them to minimize any adverse impact on the environment," he concluded.