U.S. gets nod to build road in Aceh

U.S. gets nod to build road in Aceh

JAKARTA: Acting governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Azwar Abu
Bakar has approved the U.S. government environmental feasibility
study for the Banda Aceh-Meulaboh road reconstruction project.

The study is the first environmental impact report approved by
the Indonesian government for tsunami reconstruction, the U.S.
Embassy in Jakarta said in a media statement on Friday. The
project is being undertaken by the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID).

"A key part of our strategy is to ensure that rebuilding the
road minimizes the adverse environmental impacts, while at the
same time meets our goal to build Aceh back better," said USAID
deputy director Robert Cunnane, during the signing of the report
approval in Desa Deah Glumpang in Banda Aceh, in celebration of
Flora and Fauna Day.

The report identifies the environmental and social impacts of
the project and outlines plans to mitigate potential adverse
impacts, such as changes to the landscape and ecosystem, erosion
and dust created by construction.

The 240-kilometer Banda Aceh-Meulaboh road will pass through
one city and three regencies: Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya
and Aceh Barat. The road, which is part of a broader development
partnership between the U.S. and Indonesia, aims at restoring
communication, mobility, livelihood and economic growth for the
communities along the Aceh west coast, the hardest hit by the
Dec. 24 tsunami. -- JP