Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Syamsidik
ABSTRACT. Singapore has been undergoing coastal reclamation for four decades. As its population
grows until more than four million, the Singapore government faces problem in providing ample land
for residential, industrial and municipal activities. Some waterfronts and offshore islands in Singapore
have been deformed or enlarged by some coastal reclamation projects. The reclamation has been
particularly devastating. Some problems, namely environmental and territorial problems, have arisen
some concerns from its neighboring countries. Singapore coastal reclamations have degraded some
environmental quality parameters. Severe degradation of the marine environment has resulted, either
by direct destruction of coral reef habitat, or indirect effects of increased suspended sediment
concentration and fish mortality. Recently, the problems appear to be a regional problem since the
projects receive many concerns, especially of environmentalists. Indonesia, which has contributed
landfill material for more than two decades, has to face some environmental problems due to sands
dredging and exporting activity. This paper is written to anchor some internal and external problems
generated by Singapore coastal reclamation.
Reasons
of
Reclamation
Coastal
Syamsidik
Environmental Concerns
Reclamation is conducted by means
of dredging and dumping material to
reclamation site. These activities are
potential to render hydrodynamic regimes
and to pollute water quality. Dredging is of
source of suspended sediment dispersed in a
water body. The reclamation material,
according London Convention 1970, should
not contain any hazardous chemical
substance. However, suspended sediment,
Syamsidik
Syamsidik
Indonesia:
Contributor
Problem
Syamsidik
A Preferable Solution
Based on some reports, banning sands
exports is more favorable one than others. Some
sands dredging companies said that Singapore is
more benefited than Indonesia. When there were
70 dredging companies, Singapore was
reluctantly bought the sands at the price more
than Sin$1.0/m3. Singapore controlled the sand
prices and sometimes the Singaporean
Contractors played one dredging company to
another. In this situation, the dredging
companies were forced into a war-price
condition. Kabupaten Karimun, where the most
dredging activities were conducted, has just
received Rp27 billion in 2000 even though the
dredging has been practiced in its waters for
decades.
Flawed law enforcement has reflected a
mismanagement of marine resources in
Indonesia. Until year 2000, Indonesian Navy has
caught up to 13 illegal dredging ships, which
some of them were Korean-owned ships. In
addition, according to Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), Indonesia is being robbed 1
million ton of fish every year. This proves that
Indonesia has not fully guarded it waters
territory from many illegal activities.
Exporting sands involves some official
procedures. The procedures, ideally, should
control
the
environmental
impacts
simultaneously. However, the impacts are not
fully investigated and controlled by Indonesian
Authority. Therefore, a further sands dredging
will not ensure the natural conservation.
Syamsidik
References
Chia LS, 1998. Coastal Management in Singapore:
institutional arrangements and implementation.
Ocean and Coastal Management 38(1998): 111118.
Chia LS, Habibullah K, Chou LM, 1988. The Coastal
Environment Profile of Singapore. International
Center for Living Resources and Management
(ICLARM), Manila.
Grigalunas T, Opaluch JJ, Luo M, 2000. The
economic costs to fishery marine sediment
disposal: case study of Providence, RI, USA.
Ecological Economics 38(2001) 47-58.
Jinchi, H., and Jinxiu, L., 1999. Impact of sediment
movement on the water quality of Three Gorge
reservoir. Environmental Hydraulics, Lee,
Jayawardena and Wang (eds), Balkena,
Rotterdam.
Kenny, A.J., and Rees, H.L., 1994. The effects of
marine gravel extraction on macrobenthos. Early
post-dredging recolonization. Marine Pollution
Bulletin. 28 (1994): 442-447.
Kompas, May 16th 2002. Reklamasi Singapura
Aneksasi Wilayah RI. Daily Newspaper. JakartaIndonesia.
Kompas, November 29th 2002. Tanah Air Indonesia
Pindah ke Singapura. Daily Newspaper. JakartaIndonesia.
Lu L, Goh BPL, Chou LM, 2002. Effects of coastal
reclamation on riverine macrobenthic infauna
(Sungai Punggol) in Singapore. Journal of
Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery
9(2002): 127-135.
Republika, June 4th 2003. Pasir Laut Riau Diekspor
ke Malaysia. Daily Newspaper. JakartaIndonesia.
Syamsidik