Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Most coastal areas in East Java, similar to tsunami-hit coastal regions in Aceh and North Sumatra, are susceptible to disasters like tsunami, warns an official.
Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries' Director General of Coastal Areas and Small Islands Widi Agoes Pratikto said the condition was mainly due to the damage of mangrove forests along the coast.
However, he failed to provide details on the extent of the damage of East Java's mangrove forests, only saying that nationwide, the degree of destruction had reached 60 percent.
"That's why people in East Java should pray that it (a tsunami) won't happen for a second time here, after Aceh," said Widi.
Mangroves serve as a place for small fish to live and breed in safety from predators. The structure of a forest is simple as it consists of a line of mangrove trees interspersed with a few other tree species. The kinds of trees generally found are bakau (Rhizobhara sp) and api-api (Avicennia sp). Mangroves grow on swampy shores that have calm waters.
Widi said the Ministry of Forestry had allocated Rp 860 billion (US$95.5 million) for mangrove reforestation across the country. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will allocate Rp 72 billion for fishermen in Aceh to replant mangroves.
He said the ministry would also conduct a public awareness campaign to educate fishermen in coastal areas on the reasons they should not chop down mangroves. The drive will be conducted by relevant agencies, such as the forestry, fisheries and maritime agencies in every province.
The head of the East Java Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Office's Marine Resource Exploration department, Misran, said that 11,125.29 hectares out of the total area of 159,322.18 hectares of mangrove forests in East Java were in critical condition.
The figure is predicted to gradually rise due to a lack of public awareness to prevent the illegal felling of mangrove forest.
The worst case is in Sidoarjo, where 10,295.80 out of 26,592.3 hectares have been damaged.
Another 580 hectares of mangrove forest along the Probolinggo coast have been destroyed in various projects, with 300 hectares allegedly lost to the Paiton power plant project, 280 hectares to extensive expansion of shrimp farms and development of residential areas in coastal areas.
In Probolinggo, mangroves stretch for 56 kilometers through seven districts of Tongas, Sumberasih, Dringu, Gending, Pajarakan, Krakasan and Paiton.
Mangrove forests can be found in 47 villages, one of the most severely effected being in Sumberasih district, where 35 hectares of forest have shrunk to just eight hectares in the last two to three years.
Misran blamed the construction of houses, both private and government, for the damaged mangrove forests in East Java.
In East Java alone, around 57,000 hectares of mangrove forests have vanished since 2001.
"To overcome the problem, the maritime affairs and fisheries office along with the East Java Forestry Office have replanted mangroves in a number of areas along the coast," said Misran.