Councilors urge govt to repair Java's northern coastline

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu

Indramayu legislative councilors in West Java have urged the government to pay urgent attention to damage caused by abrasion along Java's northern coast.

According to councilors, some of the damage can only be repaired through reforestation along coastal areas.

Councilor Syamsul Bahri said Monday that Indramayu had the longest coastline along the northern coast of the island, spanning 114 kilometers in West Java.

Syamsul said the abrasion was caused mainly by the destruction of mangroves in the area.

"The absence of government policy and lack of awareness on reforestation is believed to have lead to a faster rate of destruction along this coastline," he said.

Yoyon Suyaryono, an environmental activist who is also coordinator of the Labor and Environment Foundation, explained that coastal abrasion was caused mainly by large waves hitting the shore.

"Based on our observations, most of the mangroves along the coast of West Java have been damaged by waves," he said, adding that abrasion was occurring along 57 kilometers of the coast, especially at Juntinyuat and Sukra districts.

"Besides destroying mangroves, abrasion has also damaged residential sites belonging to fishermen in the regency. It has caused a great deal of loss," Yoyon said.

He attributed the fast rate of destruction to the absence of clear-cut and sustainable environmental policies on the part of the local administration.

Yoyon said local residents were driven by poverty to destroy mangroves.

"Most of the local people are poor and they cut down the mangroves to get firewood for cooking."