Jakarta – Indonesian activists urged the government to halt construction of a road network through a tropical rain forest on Sumatra island, saying the project spells environmental disaster and is riddled with corruption.
Studies show that every kilometer of road through a forest results in the destruction of between 400 hectares and 2,400 hectares of forest area, said Zainal Abidin of the Network for Forest Conservation.
"Wherever there is a road through a forest, environmental destruction happens," he told a hearing with a parliamentary commission in charge of infrastructure.
The network's campaign coordinator Hasjrul Junaid predicted that 5,000 people in 500 villages would lose their lives within 10 years to disasters such as flash floods and landslides if the project goes ahead through the hilly region.
"We urge President Megawati Sukarnoputri to stop construction and funding the Ladia Galaska road and order a comprehensive study on road transport needs in Aceh province," Junaid said.
"Ladia Galaska is one of the abuses of authority and suspected forms of corruption committed by the (Aceh) provincial government...," said Junaid.
Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh was Wednesday being questioned as a suspect in an unrelated case of alleged graft. He denies wrongdoing.
Work has already started on the Ladia Galaska network, which would link the west and east coasts of Aceh and cut through the heart of a huge conservation area known as the Leuser Ecosystem.
Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim has criticized the five-year project worth 1.2 trillion rupiah (146 million dollars) and has proposed alternative routes to avoid the conservation area, which is almost the size of Belgium.
Environmentalists say the roads would threaten wildlife and damage the water supply from the area, which is home to Sumatran rhinos, orangutans, tigers and elephants.
European Union Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom in February visited the EU-funded conservation project. She expressed alarm that the roads could spell disaster for the zone covering 2.6 million hectares (6.4 million acres).