T

he planned construction of Jacob Pattipi Airport in Fakfak, West Papua, has been postponed for almost three years because of a lack of environmental analysis documents.

'€œThe main reason for the delay is the selection of planning consultants, who are appointed to arrange Environmental Impact Analysis [Amdal] documents, a key requirement for projects to be approved by the central government,'€ West Papua Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda) head Jacob Manusawai told journalists recently.

Manusawai said that other regencies in West Papua also faced the same problem as some projects had been delayed for up to three years as a result of a lack of environmental documents.

West Papua Bapedalda data reveals the sluggish Amdal process arranged by government-appointed consultants, as time has been wasted since July 2012 to arrange one document after another, which takes up to six months.

The Fakfak regency administration and West Papua Bapedalda also had to work hard to clarify a letter from the Transportation Ministry in April 2014, which stated that the location of the airport in Tanjung Faila, Siboru village, Fakfak district, was unfeasible.

Efforts by the local administration eventually bore fruit, as on Aug. 27, 2014, Forestry Ministerial Decree No. 719/2014 was issued regarding a change in the allocation of a 243,045-hectare forest in Tanjung Faila as an Alternative Purpose Location (APL).

The Fakfak regency council in early March held a meeting on the Amdal for the airport project. The meeting, led by Jacob Manusawai, was to hear the aspirations of customary landowners and to get input from local agencies, institutes of higher learning and non-governmental organizations.

Fakfak regency administration secretary Husein Thofer said the new airport was a replacement for the old Torea Airport, which would be difficult to expand.

The Jacob Pattipi Airport project can only be carried out after it is approved by the Transportation Ministry by taking into account technical, operational, flight safety, environment as well as socioeconomic aspects.

Consequently, the Fakfak regency administration, through the Fakfak transportation and communication and information agencies, has facilitated state survey company PT Sucofindo to draw up the Amdal documents for the airport. '€œThis way the government can maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts of the new airport,'€ said Thofer.

One negative impact of the project is the inevitable loss of the forest as a place to earn a living by indigenous landowners. The area where the new airport will be built is home to the Hombore, Tuturo, Us and Hegemur tribes, which inhabit three villages in the region, namely Siboru, Sipatnanam and Wartutin.

The Tanjung Faila forest also hosts thousands of nutmeg trees, grown by tribesmen. Nutmeg has long been the main commodity in Fakfak.

In the past, foreigners came here in the quest for spices. Besides nutmeg, durian, rambutan and mango trees are also found in the Tanjung Faila forest.

Customary leaders and landowners have approved the planned airport, but have demanded government compensation for their trees, particularly the nutmeg.

Siboru village chief Beny Hombore has demanded that the government revise a local bylaw that sets compensation for one nutmeg tree at Rp 200,000 (US$15). '€œEach harvest, we can earn at least Rp 500,000 from each tree, so the Rp 200,000 compensation is not enough,'€ Beny pointed out.

The planned airport is located more than 100 kilometers from Fakfak city. Its name was taken to honor the late Jacob Pattipi, former governor of Irian Jaya (former name of Papua), as his home village was in the region.

The airport will be equipped with a 2,100-meter runway. The project will be carried out in stages from 2015 until 2029.