Mayor: Giant Sea Wall Project is a Waste of Money

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Jakarta Mayor Heru Budi Hartono said the giant sea wall construction could end up being a dormant project as it has been neglected since the piling was installed on October 9. "It would be a waste of money [if] the piles were mounted by the old minister, and then it is discontinued," he said yesterday.

Not only that, he said the central government has yet to have a clear picture of the many obstacles in the completion of the project, such as coordination with the police, the military, and the problem of inter-island transport. "At that time I challenged Pak CT (Chairul Tanjung) about what to do after the piles were erected, to date I still haven't received a reply," he said.

The project scope includes the construction of a 33-kilometer giant embankment and an independent city built on reclaimed land. The latter is a mega project estimated to cost Rp500 trillion.

The embankment will have an eight-kilometer of water-retaining wall that costs some Rp3.2 trillion, which will be borne by the Ministry of Public Works and the Jakarta city administration.

Sarwo Handayani, deputy governor for Spatial Planning and Environment, said the capital government has approved all phases of the giant embankment project. The eight-km wall is scheduled for completion in 2017. 

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