Minister Guarantees Sea Sand Export Won't Damage the Environment

VIVA – The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has guaranteed that dredging sea sand for export will not damage the environment. This was conveyed when explaining the latest government policy that allows businesses to sea sand export. 

"This (sea sand export) will not damage the environment, now there is GPS and others. We make sure environmental damage won’t happen," Minister Pandjaitan stated in Jakarta, on Tuesday. 

The minister explained that if sand dredging is not carried out, the sea channel will be shallow. Therefore, he considered it necessary to carry out sedimentation or sand deposition efforts.

This is one of the reasons for the government to reopen the export of sea sand, "We deepen the sea sand. Because if we don't, our channel will become shallower. So for sea health too," he said. 

On a separate occasion, Member of Commission House of Representatives Mulyanto criticized the government's policy of reopening the sea sand export permit. According to him, the policy is too rash and endangers the country's sovereignty, as well as the marine environment in the future.

"We are worried about the impact on the environment and state sovereignty. The effect on the marine ecosystem, especially on small islands will be very negative, so for 20 years the export of sea sand is prohibited," Mulyanto said on Tuesday. 

In addition, the policy is also feared to expand the territory of the importing country and reduce the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. Moreover, he said, it is suspected that this policy is an effort by certain parties to gain campaign capital ahead of the 2024 elections.

As information, previously President Jokowi had issued Government Regulation (PP) Number 26 of 2023 concerning the Management of Sedimentation Results in the Sea.

In it, it regulates the management of sea sand, where Article 6 states that it has given space to several parties to dredge sea sand on the grounds of controlling sedimentation in the sea.