C

oastal residents in Bandarlampung, Lampung, have refused to move into subsidized flats (rusunawa) built by the municipality and are demanding Mayor Eddy Sutrisno meet his promise to issue land titles and prevent evictions from the area.

"We voted for Pak Eddy in the last election four years ago because he promised to issue us land titles. However, after becoming mayor he wants to kick us out. We refuse because we have been living here for dozens of years. We filled the swamp and built our homes over it," Neneng, 40, of Karawang village, Panjang district, Bandarlampung, said on Monday.

"If we move to the leased flats we certainly couldn't pay the rent. Besides, our husbands have to spend more on transportation to get to the pier," Neneng, a Coastal Women's Network (JPP) activist, said.

Neneng disagreed that the settlements along the coast in Bandarlampung are dirty. "Perhaps previously, but look at them now. We have even spearheaded the drive to grow mangroves among city residents and have kept the area clean," Neneng said.

The central government and the Bandarlampung municipality have jointly built a block of flats for members of the coastal communities on a 15-hectare plot of land in the Keteguhan subdistrict of the Telukbetung Barat district. At four stories high and equipped with 96 apartments, each measuring 21 square meters, the building is ready to be occupied. The Public Housing Ministry provided Rp 9 billion (US$800,000) and the municipality set aside Rp 900 million in supporting funds from the 2006 provincial budget for the project.

Up to 200 more apartments are set to be built in stages.

Mayor Eddy said the leased flats were aimed at offering a solution to the problem of slums along the Lampung Bay coast and were related to the Water Front City (WFC) project. Based on municipal data, 81,839 people live in the slum areas, or 10.11 percent of the 809,860 residents of Bandarlampung.

Eddy assured fishermen who relocate to the flats not to be worried about access to the sea because the government would seek the best solution so their livelihood would not be affected.

"The WFC reclamation project will act as a tourism, commercial and community-based economic center, so fishermen will have better access to market their catch directly to visitors," he said.

Eddy said he had submitted proposals to the related ministries in Jakarta before implementing the program. The WFC will take up a stretch of waterfront property from the Puri Gading housing estate to the Srengsem harbor and will be support by a national program. The municipality has involved the private sector to accelerate the development of the program.

"We will also ask PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) to participate because the program would have a positive effect on their business," he said.

The leased flats are part of the WFC project, initiated by the Bandarlampng municipality. To expedite the project - which is modelled after the Pantai Losari in Makassar, South Sulawesi - the Bandarlampung municipality has appointed two companies, PT Bukit Alam Surya and PT Sekar Kanaka Langgeng (SKL), to reclaim the coast along Jl. Yos Sudarso.

Based on reports, both companies have largely excavated Camang Hill to the point that areas below the hill are subject to landslides during the rainy season.

Director of the Lampung chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Hendrawan, said the Lampung office of Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal) had previously recommended the municipality review the permits issued to the companies.

"Based on an analysis conducted by the provincial Bapedal, the land excavation and coastal reclamation activities have caused environmental damage. In the long run the excavation of the hill will reduce ground water levels because water permeability will drop. Rainfall will directly flow down the drain. That's one of the reasons why Bandarlampung is prone to floods," Hendrawan said.