TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta's administration plans to build Ali Sadikin Airport at the vicinity of the proposed Jakarta Giant Sea Wall project.
The head of Jakarta's Regional Development Planning Board (BPPD) Andi Baso Mappapoleonro, said that the airport is named after the former governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin, who held the office between 1966-1977, and will take about five years to build.
"The construction of the airport and its' supporting infrastructures will take about five years," said Ali to Tempo on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. The estimation is based on the time it took to construct Kansai International Airport in Japan, which was built reclaimed land - similar to the planned airport.
According to Andi, the airport will be built on one of the 17 islands that will be reclaimed from Jakarta Bay. The giant sea wall mega project - which will cost around Rp280 trillion to construct - was first proposed in 2011 by former Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo under the Jakarta Coastal Defence Strategy (JCDS). A 15-meter high wall will stretch for 50 kilometres from Bekasi, West Java to Tangerang, Banten.
In 2013, the government partnered with the government of the Netherlands to start the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) as a follow up to the JCDS proposal. Under the NCICD, the government expanded the project to include the commercial aspect of the development - new residential and commercial properties will be built, along with a series of pumps, levees, and a water treatment plan.
The cost of construction, technical planning, profitability, and investment potentials are being calculated in a feasibility study, which began in 2014. Construction is slated to begin in 2015, and by 2022 it is hoped that the outer part of the sea wall would be completed. Under the NCICD, Jakarta Bay would be completely enclosed by the seawall, turning it into a giant reservoir for the water treatment plant, which in turn will pump out clean water for residents to use.
According to Andi, Jakarta's administration is still reviewing the plan for the construction of the new airport, which will reduce congestion at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. "We still don't know whether it's going to be an international airport, or a domestic airport. The feasibility study will commence next year," he said.
Jakarta's deputy governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama assured that flights from Ali Sadikin airport will not interfere with the operations of Soekarno-Hatta Airport. According to him, the presence of the new airport will help Jakarta's severely congested main airport. "We have consulted the experts and it won't be an issue with Soekarno-Hatta," he said.
Dudi Sudibyo, an aviation analyst, said that Jakarta needs a third airport because Soekarno-Hatta and Halim airports are already operating beyond their capacities. According to Dudi, the plan to build an airport on reclaimed land is highly feasible. "Look at Hong Kong's International airport. Some of it were built on reclaimed land," he said.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) has spoken out against the government's reclamation plan. WALHI's head of research and development, Khalisah Khalid, said that construction should not be allowed to being as long as the problems associated with reclamation are addressed - such as environmental damage, and other economic costs, such as the loss of livelihood around coastal communities.
"The negative economic impact from the reclamation project is far larger than the benefits," said Khalisah.
LINDA HAIRANI | SUTJI DECILYA
