DKI Jakarta Regional Secretary Claims Ancol Reclamation Does Not Disturb Fishermen

Ancol Beach (Photo: Daih Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has finally opened its voice regarding the granting of a 155 hectare reclamation permit to PT. Impian Jaya Ancol. DKI Regional Secretary Saefullah claims that the granting of the permit does not interfere with fishermen's livelihoods.

Saefullah said that the waters on the north side of Ancol are not a fishing area. This is because there is almost no fish habitat in the area. Therefore, DKI allowed the reclamation of 35 hectares in the Dunia Fantasi (Dufan) area and 120 hectares in the East Ancol area.

"The expansion of the Ancol location was chosen because it is considered a location that does not intersect with fishermen's interests," said Saefullah at the City Hall of DKI, Central Jakarta, Friday, July 3.

Then, the permit was given because DKI owned land from river dredging from the Jakarta Emergency Dredging Initiative (JEDI) and the Jakarta Urgent Flood Mitigation Project (JUFMP). This program is an emergency flood management project in Jakarta.

Based on the reports of the two programs, the landfill result is 3,441,870 cubic meters. The discarded river mud will harden itself and produce soil.

The accumulation of soil will eventually form a new area due to the compaction process that is carried out to keep the soil from being scattered to the seabed irregularly.

"The dredged land is piled on the north coast of Jakarta. To be precise, in the East Ancol and West Ancol regions. It is directly attached to the area managed by Taman Impian Jaya Ancol," said Saefullah.

To ensure that the disposal of the river dredged sludge to Ancol does not have a further environmental impact, the Provincial Government of DkI asked PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol to conduct a technical study.

The study includes integrated flood management, the impact of global warming, planning for area expansion materials, planning for basic infrastructure / infrastructure, analysis of environmental impacts, and other studies.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol is also required to provide the basic infrastructure, facilities and utilities needed to develop the area. For example, road networks, public transportation, utilities, flood control infrastructure, blue open spaces, green open spaces, waste management facilities, and river sedimentation around the area expansion.

Affirm recreational interests

Saefullah emphasized that the main function of land expansion in Ancol is for the public interest, namely the recreation area. This is stated in the Decree of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Number 237 of 2020 on February 24, 2020.

"The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is committed to prioritizing public interests, including the construction of children's playgrounds and the construction of the Prophet Muhammad's historical museum and Islamic civilization. Groundbreaking was carried out in February 2020," said Saefullah.

Permits were criticized

The news of the Ancol reclamation led the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA) to criticize the move of the DKI Jakarta Governor to grant permission to expand a 150 hectare land to PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol.

KIARA Secretary General Susan Herawati assessed that the expansion of the recreational area in Ancol will encourage damage to the water area and the place for taking sand material.

"The expansion of Ancol Beach will further exacerbate the damage to the two areas at once, the water area in Jakarta Bay and the location where sand material is extracted for dredging. The aquatic and land ecosystem will suffer destruction," said Susan, Friday, June 26.

Susan said that granting reclamation expansion permits was an irony for Anies' statements so far, who promised to stop the entire reclamation process in Jakarta Bay. However, the fact is that it has even given Ancol permission to expand the land.

The granting of reclamation permits for the expansion of the recreation area on Ancol Beach, Susan continued, will only strengthen the commercialization practices of the area's developers and managers.

"Coastal, coastal and marine areas belong to all Indonesian citizens. Anyone has the right to access. The granting of this permit will force people who want to enter and access this area to pay. This is a commercialization practice that must be fought," he said.

Not only that, Anies volunteers during the 2017 Pilkada campaign doubted Anies' commitment to opposing and promising to stop the reclamation project before being elected to lead Jakarta.

"At the beginning of the Jakarta Pilkada, we supported Anies and Sandi rather than the other pairs because of their persistence in rejecting any reclamation activities," said Anies-Sandi Citizen Network Volunteer coordinator, Sanny A Irsan, Tuesday, June 30.