T

he Bantul regional administration in Yogyakarta has given a deadline to shrimp farmers in Samas Beach, Srigading, Sanden district, to close down their fish pond-based operations by the end of the year due to environmental issues.

The deadline was given following a protest by hundreds of local residents on Wednesday to demand the closure of the shrimp ponds, which they consider to have damaged casuarina trees and mangroves in the coastal region.

'€œBy the end of this year, all of the fish ponds must be closed,'€ Bantul Regent Sri Surya Widati told hundreds of protesters who staged a rally at her office on Wednesday.

She said the long time frame was given because many local shrimp farmers still had to repay their bank installments.

'€œWe have given them time to reach a breakeven point; then we will close their fishponds. Next year, any fish ponds operating without proper licenses will be promptly closed down,'€ the regent said.

As well as staging the rally, the protesting residents from five villages across the subdistrict also swept hundreds of fish ponds operating illegally along the beach.

They expressed their disappointment about the subdistrict administration, which they said had done nothing to stop illegal fish ponds from operating in the area.

Elder Srigading resident, Soeparman, said that many of the casuarinas they had planted to re-green the area had been cut down and converted into fish ponds, as had mangroves.

'€œWe, locals, only enjoy tsunamis and waste,'€ Soeparman said.

He added that due to the fishponds, seawater had permeated into agricultural fields, killing crops. '€œWho will pay the compensation [to farmers]?'€ he asked.

Another local, Sujiyo, added that residents had repeatedly filed complaints about the fish ponds operating in their villages. However, he said no responses had yet been received from the subdistrict administration.

What was more concerning, he said, was that without prior notice, the subdistrict administration'€™s staff members were seen measuring fields belonging to the administration, potentially to be leased to investors for fish pond businesses.

'€œFor the sake of everyone, we agreed to say '€˜no'€™ to fish ponds,'€ said local resident Junir.

He added that a one-sided plan from the subdistrict administration to give the nod to investors to convert some 40 hectares of agricultural fields into fish ponds was concerning.

Separately, Srigading subdistrict head Wahyu Widodo said that the shrimp pond program was started to help improve local people'€™s economic situations.

'€œHowever, the final decision will depend on the people'€™s will,'€ Wahyu said during a meeting with the protesting residents.