Antara 8 Nov 17;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs has explained that the Jakarta Bay reclamation project is being implemented in two stages to protect the state capital from the threat of land subsidence.
Ministrys Deputy for Infrastructure Coordination Ridwan Djamaluddin remarked here on Tuesday that the project is being carried in two stages: emergency and monitoring.
He said the emergency stage is being implemented by the central government to protect the coastal areas stretching 120 kilometers and are often inundated.
According to Djamaluddin, the monitoring stage aims to gauge the extent of land subsidence in order to determine whether a giant embankment project needs to be built.
"If land subsidence can be controlled, we expect that the giant embankment will not need to be built. However, a natural decline in the soil could not be avoided, so we need to consider whether to build the embankment," he pointed out.
Djamaluddin remarked that the reclamation project, whose study was integrated with the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development, has a long-term vision, with the aim of improving the ecological conditions of the north coast of Jakarta as well as developing a new economy in the reclamation area.
"The reclamation project has a long-term vision and is integrated to improve the ecological conditions and the northern coastal areas of Jakarta," he said.
Hence, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said the government will go ahead with the reclamation of Jakarta Bay to build two islands, C and D, out of the total 14 islands planned to be constructed earlier.
"The government did not say that the reclamation project would be continued, but it has stated that the ongoing project will be continued, and I think the Jakarta administration has agreed to this," Kalla stated recently.
According to Kalla, the decision to continue the ongoing project had been discussed between the central and Jakarta administrations by taking into account its efficiency.
"We had been discussing about the existing projects, as it is impossible to demolish them. It would be costlier to demolish them than to continue with the construction," he added.
Kalla admitted to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan updating him about the decision.
"I have told Baswedan that the islands must offer more benefits to the public and government," he noted.
Hence, Kalla reiterated that the government will focus on completing the construction of C and D Islands and manage their use to offer benefits to the local people and the Jakarta government.(*)
