Tangerang – It was business as usual at the construction site of Pamulang Square near Lake Tujuh Muara on Jl. Siliwangi in Tangerang regency Thursday despite mounting protests from environmentalists and local residents.

Dozens of workers were seen digging holes to sink pylons for the shopping mall construction.

Protesters are concerned by the fact that the lake functions as a water catchment for the regency and a shopping mall construction would damage the environment near the lake, said Sugandi who is an activist with Lake Tujuh Muara Conservation Committee.

He said the committee and residents of the three subdistricts had delivered their objections to the developer's plan to build the square near the lake, but received no response. "I think our concern is reasonable. A large shopping mall will produce various types of waste every day and where will the waste go if the developer has no environmental impact analysis document as the legal basis to establish a commercial building," said Achmadi, a local resident.