Meeting With BNNPP, Deputy Regent: Abrasion Emergency 1.5 Km In Bengkalis Riau

Illustration. Abrasion in the coastal area of South Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi in June 2022 (Between)

JAKARTA - Bengkalis Deputy Regent (Wabup) Bagus Santoso conveyed the emergency conditions of local abrasion at the National Border Management Agency (BNPP) Planning and Control Coordination Meeting for Regional Boundaries and Border Areas (Rakorendal).

Deputy Regent Bagus conveyed that Bengkalis' geography in Riau Province, which is on the south side of the Malacca Strait, made the region deal directly with the dynamics of strategic and vulnerable border areas.

"The Bengkalis Island is currently in a very critical situation. Abrasi has eroded the land by almost 1.5 kilometers and if it is not handled seriously, the island has the potential to disappear gradually," he said in a statement received in Bengkalis, Tuesday, in an intermediate statement.

Of the total potential abrasion of 222 kilometers, he said, 120 km are classified as critical. Meanwhile, the new regional government is able to handle 31 km, so there are still about 90 kilometers of areas that require immediate treatment.

According to him, the estimated handling costs reached around Rp. 2.5 trillion. Meanwhile, this year's infrastructure budget in Bengkalis is only around Rp. 42 billion.

The Deputy Regent emphasized that the authority to handle coasts lies with the central government, while the regional budget capacity is very limited.

Abrasion that is not handled, according to him, not only threatens settlements and community economic activities, but also has the potential to shift the coordinates of state boundaries, which have serious implications for the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.

This coordination meeting was officially opened by the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs (Menkopolkam) Djamar Chaniago with the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian and the Secretary General of BNPP Makhruzi Rahman who were present at the event.

This forum also maps the realization of the program until the third quarter of 2025 and identifies problems in the field as the basis for the preparation of the 2027 Action Plan.

In its report, the Secretary General of BNPP said that the number of BNPP members increased significantly from 18 to 40 ministries/agencies. "This confirms that cross-ministerial collaboration, institutions, and local governments are the keys to realizing competitive and prosperous border areas," said Makhruzi Rahman.