30 km bamboo reef discovered, mystery about its authorship

The alarm was raised by local fishermen, who are prevented from accessing the open sea. Some have speculated that the structure is part of the PIK2 project, a government-backed residential and commercial conglomerate. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries has closed access to the area. Some statements about the responsibility of fishermen in the construction of the reef are not considered credible.

Jakarta () – The discovery of a mysterious 30.16 kilometer long bamboo reef in the Java Sea, north of Tangerang, has shocked Indonesian public opinion. For almost a week, authorities and the population have been trying to understand the meaning and origin of the structure, which has given rise to several theories about who was responsible for its construction.

The alarm was raised last week by a group of fishermen, who expressed their concern on social networks. The fence, six meters high and made of woven bamboo and sandbags as ballast, covers six districts and touches several villages, including Kronjo, Kemiri, Mauk, Sukadiri, Pakuhaji and Teluknaga. According to the fishermen, it is a dam that interferes with their fishing activities.

Some have speculated that the structure is part of the PIK2 (Pantai Indah Kapuk II) project, a colossal residential and commercial conglomerate that, when completed, is expected to stretch from the north of the capital, Jakarta, to the Tangerang regency. , with which it borders to the west. A spokesperson for the project categorically denied any involvement and stressed during a press conference that the PIK2 project has been active since 2009 and has no relation to the mysterious barrier.

However, some fishermen from the community of Ketapang, a town in Tangerang district that is part of the Jakarta metropolitan area, told the website Mongabay that, after a group of boats attempted to remove the fence, employees of a real estate developer quickly rebuilt it, showing a letter of authorization issued by the town administration. According to the head of the subdistrict that includes Ketapang, the fence is intended to delimit the area of ​​a port planned in the PIK2 project.

Meanwhile, the local authorities have confirmed that it is now taking fishermen up to an hour and a half longer to reach the open sea, while the Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, in response to general indignation, ordered the Ministry of Fisheries and the Sea to seal access to the barrier.

Early last year, several civil society groups had expressed surprise when the government, still led by President Joko Widodo, included PIK2 on the list of national priority projects. In fact, it is a designation that could protect developers from legal challenges, reduce red tape and obtain government help to acquire land, he explains. Mongabay. In recent days, some have accused Joko Widodo of favoring large real estate conglomerates at the expense of local communities. The president’s supporters have rejected these accusations, but the debate remains hot.

While the Ministry of Fisheries continues to investigate the case to identify those responsible, claims have emerged in recent days from Jaringan Rakyat Pantura (JPR), a local fishermen’s group, that the structure It was erected to prevent coastal erosion. The marine reef that extends along the northern coast of Tangerang regency was deliberately built independently by the community,” stated a local JRP representative.

But this statement was received with skepticism by the majority of the population. “Since when do Indonesian fishermen invest such large sums to combat marine erosion?” commented Felix, a local resident interviewed by .