Walhi pushes Ladia Galaksor suit for environmental damage

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The fate of a controversial road project partly blamed for the recent flash flood which claimed at least 151 lives in North Sumatra may be determined in court.

The Indonesian Forum on Environment (Walhi) is pursuing its lawsuit against Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh in relation to the construction of the Ladia Galaska project, and wants the project stopped. It suggests that the project, which failed an environmental impact assessment, could easily be replaced by a railway, which would not cause as much environmental damage, because illegal loggers could not readily use a train for their activities.

Walhi turned down an offer from the Aceh administration to settle the matter out of court because the latter "is not serious," its lawyer Bambang Antariksa said on Monday.

"Some 30 percent of the road construction has been completed and it's getting closer to the protected forest," Bambang said, referring to the Mount Leuser National Park (TNGL).

The project has been opposed by Walhi and other organizations as 160 kilometers out of the planned 505-kilometer-long road cuts through the national park.

On Oct. 3 Walhi filed the lawsuits against the Aceh governor, the Aceh settlement and regional infrastructure agency and the Aceh council for the construction of the road network, which is to link the west and east coasts of northern Sumatra.

The project, apart from illegal logging, has been partially blamed for the deadly flash flood in Langkat regency, which is part of the national park.

The central government is sending a team to investigate the causes of the flood.

It is believed that the road would be used by illegal loggers, thus harming forest biodiversity. TNGL, home to many rare animal and plant species, has lost some 20 percent of 950,000 hectares of forest due to illegal logging.

TNGL is also important for people in Aceh and neighboring North Sumatra for its capability to provide water for over four million people.

Bambang said that Walhi agreed that the road would end the isolation of residents in 23 villages and towns.

"But we oppose it as the road harms the forests," he said.

Bambang said that the road construction would also carry the potential to cause more floods and landslides as it could cut through steep and fragile hills inside the national park.

Last year, the southern part of Aceh suffered widespread flooding, which caused many deaths as well as crop failures estimated to have cost billions of rupiah.

The government has yet to decide whether to continue the road project. Forestry Minister M. Prakosa and State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim have also expressed opposition to the project.

However, Minister of Settlement and Infrastructure Soenarno has claimed that the road project would not increase illegal logging.