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View all search resultsGorontalo resurrects Sulawesi Canal plan
Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie has again raised a plan to construct the so-called Sulawesi Canal to accelerate economic growth in central Indonesia
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G
orontalo Governor Rusli Habibie has again raised a plan to construct the so-called Sulawesi Canal to accelerate economic growth in central Indonesia.
The plan calls for the channel to be constructed at the "neck" of Sulawesi Island, which resembles the letter "K", in Central Sulawesi province.
Rusli told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the proposed Sulawesi Canal would allow easier access to eastern Indonesia as currently shipping from Java and Kalimantan had to circumvent the Sulawesi Sea to reach eastern Indonesia.
He added that the canal would assist in the development of the Sea Lane of Communications (SLOC) in central Indonesia.
The governor said the "neck" of Sulawesi in Central Sulawesi was chosen because it was the narrowest strip of land across the island.
Rusli raised the idea during a meeting on the development of SLOC II at the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry on Monday.
Indonesia has three SLOCs, known by their Indonesian abbreviation as ALKI, to provide safe passage for foreign ships sailing through Indonesian inland seas.
Rusli, however, admitted that there had been no comprehensive study, especially on ecological risks, if Sulawesi's neck was to be slit to build the canal.
The idea of a Sulawesi canal was first aired by Rusli's predecessor Fadel Muhammad in 2008.
Meanwhile, environmental activist Abdul Haris Malik questioned the controversial plan due to the lack of a comprehensive study on its environmental impact.
Haris also wondered why successive Gorontalo governors were so keen on the idea while the Central Sulawesi provincial administration was noticeably silent on the plan. (nvn)(+++)
