Some of the coastal cities included in the proposal are Jakarta, Cirebon (West Java), Denpasar (Bali), and Makassar (South Sulawesi).
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Marine and Fisheries has received a proposal for developing many coastal cities for reclamation in order to expand the land areas, Sjarief Widjaja reported here on Friday.

"To date, 52 coastal cities have been proposed for reclamation," Sjarief, secretary general of the Ministry of Marine and Fishery, said.

Some of the coastal cities included in the proposal are Jakarta, Cirebon (West Java), Denpasar (Bali), and Makassar (South Sulawesi).

These cities are directly connected to the sea and have been recommended for expansion through reclamation.

According to Sjarief, for quite some time, land use disputes have been occurring in most of the coastal areas of Indonesia, mainly due to industrial sector developments.

"Seventy percent of the industries in Indonesia are located along the coast," Sjarief said, adding that the high interest of the people in using land in the coastal areas will be a new problem in spatial arrangement in the future.

In addition, the seafront areas have been mostly converted as settlements by the locals and those who had recently moved to the areas.

"The marine resources, including those existing in the coastal cities, should be well managed," Sjarief added.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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