Nipah Island NKRI Front Island in Batam City

Nipah Island or Nipa is one of the outer islands of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) located in the Padang Padang District, Batam City, Riau Islands Province (KEPRI). Nipah Island is very strategic. While the panorama is very beautiful, it is located in the international traffic shipping lane. Ships heading to the Port of Singapore from the west sail in the shipping lane just below the island of Nipah. and Conversely, ships from Jurong Harbor, Singapore sail in the upper channel with frequency. The island itself is included in the FTZ region according to PP 46/2007.

Nipah Island is one of the 12 leading islands of Indonesia which had seized the attention of the government in early 2000 due to sand mining. Sand from this island is exported to support Singapore's mainland reclamation. As a result of mining, the sand of the island of Nipa has abrasion so that it is feared that it could cause the sinking of Nipah Island. Based on the page of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Nipa Island has been reclaimed and built a naval base to maintain the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.

Steps to save the island began in 2004. In February 2004, the last year of President Megawati Soekarno Putri's leadership began building the Nipah Island, which was marked by the planting of the Cemara Laut tree and illumination of the footprints of the head of the state as a monument, which began the reclamation of Nipah Island. From that year on until President Yudhoyono's administration rescued Nipah Island. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wants a blueprint for Nipah Island to immediately play a strategic position in the Malacca Strait. The development of Nipah Island needs to be harmonized with the development of free trade areas with Bintan Island, Batam Island and Karimun Island.

'' This island almost sank, now it has become an island again. This has an effect on the country's government. That way, there are a lot of assets. Related departments provide facilities such as solar cells, '' explained Batam Navy Base Commander (Danlanal) Colonel Laut (P) R Eko Suyatno.

After that, there is the fourth stage. Namely, carried out hoarding in the northern zone, the southern zone, and the mangrove forest zone. The work was carried out in April-December 2006. Work on the fifth phase began by building a TNI-AL post (posal) and continuing embankment elevation. In addition, the landfill was carried out from April to December 2007. The continued development of postal is in the sixth and seventh stages. At that time it was finishing posal buildings and making connecting roads north and south zones and docks.

Now, besides being an outer island and a place for soldiers to maintain the sovereignty of the country, Nipah Island has an economic side that can be developed. Because its position is in the world shipping traffic lane. Only the government needs to think economically in order to benefit from the island which is passed by hundreds of ships every day.