Untung Jawa island people want sand mining halted
Untung Jawa island people want sand mining halted
JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Untung Jawa island in North Jakarta fear that sand quarrying in nearby waters will eventually cause the island to sink.
Supriadi, a spokesman for the residents said that the residents had asked the local authorities several times to have the activity stopped, "but there has been no response from the authorities".
"The waves have become larger and the shoreline closer," another resident said.
The Untung Jawa island is part of the Seribu Island's national park, which was set up to mainly protect the area's mangroves.
The municipality officially banned sand quarrying in the Seribu Islands in 1992.
However dredging continues, with permits from the Tangerang administration which claims the quarry site is in West Java.
Untung Jawa is the nearest island of the Seribu Island chain to Teluk Naga district in Tangerang.
The reclamation of 4,000 hectares of shoreline in Teluk Naga for the development of a tourist resort, housing and shopping center has also drawn criticism, especially from environmentalists.
In the last two years Untung Jawa island has become a popular recreational spot for Tangerang residents. Swimming in the fairly clean waters is one of the attractions.
The district head of Seribu Islands, Djupri, said yesterday the sand dredging activities are not dangerous.
"The sand quarrying does not take place near the islands (within the Jakarta administration)," he told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
After mass prayers on the island on Friday, residents took the problem up again with Djupri's deputy, Kasno.
Ambas, the deputy subdistrict head, said the activities began five years ago. A number of ships operate 24 hours a day, going back and forth from the quarrying site to the North Jakarta coast.
Stall owners on the Untung Jawa island said they have had to move their stalls further inland. They pointed to the former shoreline more than a meter away from their stalls.
Residents said the quarrying is for golf courses in North Jakarta.
The problem also surfaced during discussions between residents and 21 students, who were on a camping trip over the weekend.
The camping trip was organized by an environmental organization, Yayasan Laut Lestari Indonesia.
Led by Elshinta Suyoso, the foundation held its second camping trip to encourage environmental awareness among young people. The first was held last year in Marunda, also North Jakarta.
Adi Pamadi, the foundation's executive director, said the organization's latest study of the Seribu Islands revealed that sand dredging in several sites had led to environmental degradation in both North Jakarta and Tangerang.
"The shoreline in Mauk, Tangerang, has also receded," Adi said.
Four small islands, including the Ubi Kecil, started disappearing when dredging was conducted at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, he said.
In September councilors expressed concern over sand dredging near another island in the Seribu Island, Laki island. The sand was for the reclamation of part of the Ancol Timur shoreline, a Rp 1 trillion project by PT Manggala Karya Yudha and state-owned port company PT Pelindo II.
In January, dredging was also being done near the Opak Besar island.
The Untung Jawa island is the least populated in the Seribu Islands, with only 339 families living on it. (anr)