City development yet to heed environment<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Public officials have admitted that the policy on development in
\nthe capital was merely based on economic development and in
\nneglect of the environment, which must be protected and
\nmaintained in order to achieve sustainable development.<\/p>\n
\"We've seen many breaches of the city planning blueprint,
\nwhere open spaces used as water catchment areas have been
\nconverted into business zones, such as malls,\" said Gempur Adnan,
\na deputy at the office of the State Minister for the Environment.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, there should be a mechanism of communication
\nbetween the people, the administration and businesspeople to
\nreach a win-win solution where economic development and
\nenvironmental preservation can be achieved hand-in-hand.\"<\/p>\n
He was speaking at a discussion held Thursday as part of the
\n2003 Indonesian Environment Week exhibition at the Jakarta
\nConvention Center, which opened on the same day. The discussion
\nrevolved around the government's latest campaign: \"My city is
\nclean and green\".<\/p>\n
Gempur's statement soon met with a response from Johan Silas,
\nan urban planning expert from the Surabaya Institute of
\nTechnology. Silas said there should be no compromising with any
\ndevelopment plans that had a potential to damage the environment.<\/p>\n
Referring to the experience of the Surabaya people when
\nbusinesspeople tried to turn the town's open space into a
\nbuilding complex, Silas said, \"No need to seek a win-win
\nsolution, because we should not care about the financial losses
\nof the businesspeople. A good environment is a must. No
\ncompromise on that.\"<\/p>\n
The discussion also touched upon the Jakarta administration's
\nreluctance to proceed with a project to reclaim 2,700 hectares of
\nthe northern coastal area, despite opposition from the office of
\nthe State Minister for Environment, along with experts and
\nactivists.<\/p>\n
The reclaimed land from the project, which will be managed by
\nthe Jakarta Waterfront City Management (PB Pantura), would be
\nallocated toward luxury houses, hotels, condominiums, industrial
\nzones, ports, business centers, mega shopping malls, offices,
\nseaports and recreation areas.<\/p>\n
The project, the discussion participants pointed out, was a
\nglaring example of the neglect of environmental issues.<\/p>\n
The latest analysis on the environmental impact of the project
\nreported that it would raise the sea level by about 12
\ncentimeters and damage the marine ecosystem because of the great
\namount of sand needed for the project. It also said that
\npollution around Kepulauan Seribu regency would increase and
\nspark social strife, as thousands of fishermen living in the area
\nwould lose their source of income.<\/p>\n
Wicaksono Sarosa of the Urban and Regional Development
\nInstitute (URDI), a non-governmental organization, said it was
\npertinent to revitalize Jakarta's northern coastal area, which
\nhad suffered from erosion and pollution.<\/p>\n
\"To reach sustainable development, there are three main
\nconcerns: the environmental, the economic and the social issues.
\nThe reclamation is not necessary, because it would only further
\ndamage the environment, not only in the coastal area but also
\nhere in the center of the capital and surrounding areas,\"
\nWicaksono remarked. House of Representatives legislator Tunggul
\nSirait also shared Wicaksono's opinion.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of the environment sub-commission at
\nthe House suggested agropolitan development, which may lower the
\nnumber of migrants to Jakarta -- instead of reclaiming land,
\nwhich is aimed at increasing dwelling space.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-development-yet-to-heed-environment-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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