GOVT BANS TOURISM, FISHERY ACTIVITIES AT TANGERANG LAKES

Tangerang, Banten, Nov 21 (ANTARA) - The regional government of South Tangerang city, Banten, will ban and put in order all tourism and fish breeding activities at nine lakes in the city, a regional government official said.

Head of the South Tengerang's Environment Affairs Service Rachman Suhendar said here over the weekend that although the nine dams in South Tangerang were under the management of the central government, the regional administration still controls them.

"We strictly ban any tourism and fish cultivation activities at the nine reservoirs in South Tangerang. We will conduct an operation in the near future to put in order any party engaged in activities at the lakes," he said.

He said that as a conserved water catchment area and protected under the law, the dam was not designed for business or commercial purposes.

Rachman said that the regional government therefore banned people from developing floating bamboo fish cages for fish breeding at the lakes.

He said that floating fish cages in the lakes of Ciledug and Pamulang, for example, had caused the dams to silt up.

Rachman said that tourism and fish breeding locations should at least be 30 meters away from the dams.

South Tagnerang city has nine lakes, namely Lake Gintung, Lake Sasak Tinggi (or Pamulang lake), Legoso, Pondok Jagung, Ciledug, Parigi, Bungur, Rompang and Kayu Atap lakes.

On March 27, 2009, Situ Gintung dam in Cirendeu, Tangerang, southeast Jakarta, broke down and the water flooded like a small tsunami, washing away cars, houses and human settlements. Ninety nine people perished and 102 others gone missing.