"Perda No. 1 of 2018 stipulates that in order to conduct every reclamation activity, a permit has first to be obtained from the East Java governor as the authority of the 12 miles from the coastal line," Bationo, the chairman of Commission C, stated here on Wednesday.
Several developers and Bulak residents had conducted the reclamation.
The project was initiated by local fishermen looking to have an area for drying fish, an activity that was earlier conducted on the roadsides.
"These fishermen had conveyed their demand to the Surabaya municipal administration that instead constructed a fish center in Bulak, though it fails to meet the fishermen's demand," he remarked.
The reclamation area was later used to build the settlement area, he stated.
"We urge the people to stop reclamation activities since it is against the law, and this is also to prevent untoward incidents in future," the lawmaker from PDIP stated.
Hanafi, a local resident of Sukolilo, remarked that the reclamation had been conducted since 1990. The local people were under the notion that it was not reclamation but revitalization of land belonging to their ancestors, but seawater intrusion had affected land.
The local rural administration had permitted the work on reclamation that was 50 percent complete, he stated.
The local people were unaware that the activity is a violation of the law, he remarked.
Hanafi affirmed he will bring to the attention of local fishermen that the reclamation activity ran counter to the law, though they would ultimately decide on the future course of action.
Reclamation of coastal areas is usually deemed to be detrimental to the environment, as it could harm the ecosystem.
EDITED BY INE
