North Coast of Banten 1, Tanjung Pontang - Lontar: erosional coastline

Banten Province is situated at wetern part of Java Island. Formerly, the province was part of West Java Province. The following photographs took in 2003 at Lontar area (Figure 1). The Tanjung Lontar - Tanjung Pontang coast is erosional. Before 1925, the coast was depositional. Since 1925, Pamarayan Dam has effectively stoped sediment supply to the coastal water that turned the coast to be erosional (Photo 1-3).

Figure 1. Site map of Tanjung Pontang (west) - Tanjung Kait (east). Large black number indicates relative location the photos. Laut = sea, tanjung = cape, pulau = island.

Photo 1. Face to east toward Lontar village. Erosional coast with erosional platform of stiff mud.

Photo 2. Face to west. Eroded mangrove coast at Lontar.

Photo 3. "Net" of mangroves roots that have lost their substrate.

There are only uncontinuous narrow strip of mangrove along the coast. The villagers have developed ponds extensively at coastal plain and left only about 10 meters mangrove along the coast (Photo 4). At many parts of the coast, the mangroves was eroded away and the ponds as well (Photo 5).

Photo 4. Face to east. Narrow mangrove strip near Tanjung Pontang. Sea wave have eroded away some part of the mangrove and the ponds embankment as well.

Photo 5. Face to west. Eroded ponds that cause zigzagged coastline.

Regards,

Wahyu

Biak Island in Pictures 01

Biak is Pacific island of Indonesia. The island was very important during Second Worl War. In October 2003, I came to the island for the third time. I came to Bosnik where a capital of Bosnik Subdistrict situated before the Biak Tsunami in 1996. The tsunami devastated the town. The following in the pictutes of Bosnik coastal area. I stood at a point at Bosnik's coastline, turned my body around and took the pictures.

Figure 1. Image of eastern Biak island.

Photo 1. Face to west. The long boats are transportation fasility to Padaido islands.

Photo 2. Face to east. The foundation and floor of the swept away houses by the 1996 tsunami.

Photo 3. Face to south. Coastal platform/reef flat in foregroung and reef island at background. Depth of the blue water is more than eight hundred meters.

Photo 4. Face to north. Bosnik market where peoples from Padaido islands trade their goods, mainly fisheries products. Before the 1996 tsunami, Bosnik subdistrict capital was here.

Regards,

Wahyu