The water flowed through the tunnel and the lake ran dry. It became a new settlement for locals and grew prosperous; it later was called Bandung, today the capital of West Java.

In the lore of the Sundanese people, this folktale (the tunnel, Sanghyang Tikoro, is still there) explains why the Bandung area is like a gigantic hollow in the heart of West Java, ringed by a crest of hills and mountains stretching far into the province's hinterland.

But those famous hills, which became a favorite resort and retirement area for the Dutch colonists, are disappearing fast.

With a swelling population of more than three million, Bandung is in constant need of construction materials. Demand for gravel and limestone for the construction of real estate complexes and private housing has led to the proliferation of quarrying in the surrounding hillsides.

Some of the mountains have disappeared, flattened by blasting and, ironically, are now themselves the sites of housing complexes and factories.

At least half of the hilly Padalarang area is now flat. It is the center of the blasting where miners seek stones, gravel and limestone. The blasting follows the line of the mountain range stretching from Padalarang westward to Purwakarta.

With similar intensity, it moves southward to Sukabumi. Travel through the area, and prepare to be confronted by ear-shattering explosions and a swirl of dust.

Through the 1980s, Bandung's mountains were an attraction for local and foreign tourists. People would stop their cars on a mountain road to gaze out over the breath-taking panorama.

"We can't do that anymore," said Agus Handayana, a driver who has been regularly traveling the Bandung-Jakarta route since 1980. "I would prefer to keep going and get some rest in Jakarta or Bandung."

There is no official data on the number of mountains and hills within the Bandung area, or how many of them have been leveled as a result of the construction boom.

A geology expert at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Prof. Sampurno, said there were numerous mountain ranges stretching out in every direction.

"Westwards, the mountains and their foothills stretch from Padalarang to Purwakarta. Southwards, they stand side by side like a giant wall as far as Sukabumi. To the north, the Lembang and Dago highlands are connected to Tangkuban Perahu and hundreds of mountains stretch as far as Subang and Pamanukan. To the east, a line of mountains stretches from Manglayang mountain in Ujungberung to Cikuray mountain in Ciamis," he said.

None of them have escaped the blasting activities, which are taking place on all sides. While uplands and hills in Padalarang have been given over to housing complexes and factories, the other end of Cicalengka has long been home to resorts for the middle classes.

Consequences

Today, the undesirable consequences are being felt. Bandung, which in old stories was caressed by soft breezes, is now battered by strong, dusty winds which frequently damage homes, uproot trees and disrupt the telephone and electricity services.

"Bandung has no natural walls now," said Sampurno.

Even at normal rainfall levels, there is the danger of landslides as the result of erosion in the surrounding hillsides. Homes have been destroyed and people killed by landslides in Maragaasih district and Dayeuh Kolot.

The products of the blasting have brought some physical benefits, such as houses, roads and other infrastructure. Construction companies and the government have made windfall gains from the quarrying.

Sampurno and environmental experts worry that the short-term gains will be overshadowed by the long-term drawbacks.

"No one would deny the economic advantages of these activities, but as humane and civilized people we have to put safeguards into place when we do something," Sampurno said.

Unfortunately, any concerns about the consequences have been pushed aside by avarice, he added.

"When our actions cause changes to nature, we are supposed to take steps so as to prevent any adverse impacts. But now, only three things occur to us: money, money and more money," Sampurno said.