Mangrove Forests Destroyed In Gorontalo

Gorontalo, May 6 (Antara) - Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie said around 85 percent of mangrove forests in the district of Pohuwato in the province has been destroyed. "This is against commitment of the government to preserve the environment," Rusli said when conducting aerial inspection of the mangrove forest in Pohuwato. Efforts to build infrastructure such as roads, bridges and irrigation systems would fail in that district if the environment in upstream area is damaged. Failure to preserve the environment could cause natural disasters like flooding and landslides destroying all infrastructure projects built with state funds, he said. The Randangan irrigation systems will be built at a cost of more than Rp350 billion to be followed with plan to open 9,000 hectares of new rice fields in that area, he said. "The provincial administration is ready to support infrastructure development in Pohuwato, but the people and local authorities should also support by preserving the environment to protect the projects," he said. He noted that Pohuwato has expanded faster than other districts in the province of Gorontalo, as shown by its economic condition.