Indonesia: Fate of reclamation project hinges on environmental study results

Antara 4 May 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Jakarta provincial government is awaiting the results of a study conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry concerning the continuation of the Jakarta Bay reclamation project.

"With regard to the continuation of the reclamation project, we are still waiting for the results of the study conducted by the Environment and Forestry Ministry," Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, remarked while visiting the D Island in Jakarta Bay on Wednesday.

The governor noted that the study was important as some reclamation work on D Island was found to not be in line with the environmental impact assessment.

"Soon after the results of the study by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry on the environmental impact assessment of the implementation of reclamation are issued, we will immediately follow it up," Ahok affirmed.

Furthermore, the governor stated that the developer had also sent a letter to the Jakarta provincial government, saying it was ready to temporarily halt the construction work on the island.

"Two weeks ago, the developer had sent a letter to us, expressing willingness to suspend its development activities on the reclaimed island," Ahok stated.

Meanwhile, on the same occasion, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya admitted that there were some issues related to the development on D Island.

"There are still several aspects that have not been examined. Among other matters are issues related to water supply, gas pipelines or cables under the sea, and the condition of the underwater ecosystem. They should be studied further," Nurbaya noted.

Earlier in the day, Ahok, along with Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli, Minister Nurbaya, and Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, visited D Island, one of the reclaimed islands.(*)


Jakarta bay reclamation to increase coastal area: Minister
Antara 4 May 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pujiastuti has opined that the Jakarta Bay reclamation project was not to form new islands but to expand North Jakartas coastal area, instead.

"From what we have seen, some of the 17 small islands in the bay are no longer in the form of islands but have been connected to the mainland," Susi remarked here on Wednesday.

Further, the minister affirmed that reclamation was not being carried out to create a new island but to expand the coastal area in North Jakarta.

According to Susi, the C and D islands have been fused into a single landmass.

Earlier in the day, Susi and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, and Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, reviewed the Jakarta bay reclamation site.

They visited the site in the bay of Jakarta to gain firsthand information on the reclamation project that had been halted temporarily.

"We have come to see the real condition here and in the other reclamation sites," Ramli remarked, adding that despite the risk, reclamation work was common across the world.

The government had earlier decided to temporarily suspend the reclamation project in the Bay of Jakarta, which covered 17 islands, until all the requirements, laws, and regulations were met by the developer.

On April 18, Ramli announced the governments decision to impose a moratorium on the Jakarta Bay reclamation project until the pros and cons of the multi-billion reclamation deal were evaluated.

"We request to suspend the construction work until all requirements and legal regulations are fully met," Ramli, who was accompanied by Nurbaya and Ahok, informed the press at the time.(*)


Three ministers review Jakarta bay reclamation site
Antara 4 May 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Three ministers, in the company of Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, reviewed the Jakarta bay reclamation site on Wednesday.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, and Ahok visited the island in the bay of Jakarta to gain firsthand information on the reclamation project that had been halted temporarily.

"We have come to see the real condition here and in the other reclamation sites," Ramli remarked, adding that despite the risk, reclamation work was common across the world.

The government had earlier decided to temporarily suspend the reclamation project in the Bay of Jakarta, which covered 17 islands, until all the requirements, laws, and regulations were met by the developer.

On April 18, Ramli announced the governments decision to impose a moratorium on the Jakarta Bay reclamation project until the pros and cons of the multi-billion reclamation deal were evaluated.

"We request to suspend the construction work until all requirements and legal regulations are fully met," Ramli, who was accompanied by Nurbaya and Ahok, informed the press at the time.

President Joko Widodo had later emphasized that the reclamation project in Jakarta must not break any existing laws or regulations.

"There must not be any violation of the existing laws and regulations in the implementation of this project," cabinet secretary Pramono Anung noted.

To this end, the president has urged all concerned ministries/state institutions, including the Ministry of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Agrarian Affairs, and Spatial Order/head of the National Land Agency to synchronize their work, so as to avoid legal problems in future.

He said the president had also requested to formulate a key master plan to anticipate any environmental problems that may affect the sea biota, mangroves, and other aspects.

"The president emphasized that the project would not serve any purpose if it did not benefit the people, especially the local fishermen," he added.

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