Let's open our mind<\/p>\n
By Maria Kegel<\/p>\n
For the past 29 years, June 5 has been set aside as World
\nEnvironment Day by the United Nations Environment Program.
\nApart from the political attention and action it provokes,
\nthis annual event can be a time for us to reflect on our present
\nenvironment and our actions that affect it, as well as to address
\ncommon tasks we can perform to preserve all life on our planet.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It is a terrible sound to hear; that coarse
\ngasping of the pipes that signals the end of running water.<\/p>\n
It is also a terrible feeling to try the taps every day in the
\nwild hope that water will reappear.<\/p>\n
As hundreds of thousands of people in North, East and pockets
\nof Central Jakarta recently struggled with the effects of a water
\nshortage from a collapsed dike, we are reminded of how dependent
\nwe are on our environment.<\/p>\n
As is often the case, it is when a valuable resource is lost
\nthat we realize its immense importance to our survival.<\/p>\n
A large percentage of Jakartans already know about water
\nshortages every dry season, and for many residents in North
\nJakarta, a clean water source has always been a luxury.<\/p>\n
Groundwater is unusable there because of saltwater intrusion,
\nwhich reaches as far as Kuningan in South Jakarta, and affects
\nCililitan in East Jakarta and Kebon Kacang in Central Jakarta,
\naccording to a study by the Indonesian Institute of Science.<\/p>\n
Residents in many towns and villages across the country,
\nresort to catching rain water in empty containers stationed under
\ngutters of houses.<\/p>\n
In Pademangan, North Jakarta, for instance, locals are forced
\nto use the heavily polluted Sunter River to wash clothes and
\ndishes.<\/p>\n
Vendors pushing carts loaded with jerricans of clean water
\noffer 20 liters of water, for cooking and drinking, for about Rp
\n1,000, but some residents have trouble affording that.<\/p>\n
As time goes on, more city dwellers may be forced to switch to
\npiped water from wells because of widespread pollution of
\naquifers.<\/p>\n
Overuse<\/p>\n
Clean water is provided to about 40 percent of the city's
\npopulation of 10 million through the city water company PDAM and
\nits joint venture with two foreign water companies.<\/p>\n
However, overuse of water by many customers is seriously
\ndepleting what many perceive as an unlimited resource.<\/p>\n
Most office buildings, hotels, factories and homes in the
\ncapital have drilled their own artesian wells, many of which
\nviolate city regulations on deep drilling, and lead to
\noverexploitation of the groundwater supply.<\/p>\n
Experts have warned that overexploitation of groundwater could
\ncause degradation such as ground subsidence, leaving areas prone
\nto flooding.<\/p>\n
Every year, ground subsidence in the capital is about 40
\nmillimeters to 80 millimeters, with some areas in North Jakarta
\nreaching one meter due to the overexploitation of groundwater.<\/p>\n
Jakarta is not alone in its struggle to conserve clean water.<\/p>\n
At present, the United Nations said 20 percent of the world's
\npopulation in 30 countries faced water shortages.<\/p>\n
With our present rate of consumption, that figure will rise to
\n30 percent of the world's population in 50 countries by the year
\n2025.<\/p>\n
Water is only one component of our environment. Air, climate,
\nsoil, noise levels, traffic congestion and other living things
\nalso make up the conditions by which we are surrounded.<\/p>\n
A recent survey of Asia by a Singapore consultancy ranked
\nIndonesia as the fifth most polluted country in Asia as perceived
\nby expatriates living in 12 Asian countries and territories.<\/p>\n
India, China, Vietnam and the Philippines were respectively
\nrated worse with all citing air pollution as the biggest
\ncomplaint, the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd.
\nreported.<\/p>\n
Biggest supplier<\/p>\n
Enter Swisscontact and its implementation of a clean air
\nproject for this region, in full swing since 1997, to make
\nJakarta a more breathable place for everyone.<\/p>\n
Restiti, one of the program officers at Swisscontact, said the
\nmain goal of the project was to reduce air pollution caused by
\nvehicle emissions.<\/p>\n
\"Seventy percent of Jakarta's air pollution is caused by
\nvehicle emissions; that's the biggest source,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Restiti said next year all private car owners would have to
\ncomply with standard regulations on vehicle emissions as enforced
\nby the city administration, according to Decree No. 95\/2000.<\/p>\n
Another regulation is to come before next year to make the
\nruling official, Restiti said.<\/p>\n
Vehicles will be annually tested, and if they fail to meet the
\nallowable emission limit, they will need mandatory repairs, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The annual inspection will also be combined with car
\nregistration, so in order to register, vehicle owners will have
\nto pass the emissions test, she said.<\/p>\n
Bus owners have also joined in the act with another program
\nstarted by the project in 1998 that includes driver and mechanic
\ntraining, although the main concern is bus maintenance and
\ninspection.<\/p>\n
Buses from Bluebird, Hiba Utama, Bianglala, Bahala, Arimbi,
\nSinar Jaya, Lorraine, Kramat Jati and Safari Darma Raya are
\nparticipants in the Clean Bus program and have earned a sticker
\nidentifying their vehicle as maintained and inspected according
\nto the program's standards.<\/p>\n
\"So if you see a bus with a sticker on its back, and there is
\nblack smoke coming out of its tailpipe, you can complain to the
\nbus owners or to Swisscontact, which is actually good input for
\nus as we would be able to discuss the problem with bus owners.\"<\/p>\n
Restiti added that the program was voluntary, so not all the
\nbuses from the fleets listed were participating, although most
\nwere and would gradually increase to perhaps include all at one
\npoint.<\/p>\n
\"They (owners and operators) want to join us as they save 5 to
\n15 percent on fuel costs,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The program is in cooperation with the Regional Environmental
\nImpact Management Agency for Jakarta Special Province
\n(Bapedalda), and is the Clean Air Project's third phase, termed
\n\"problem solvers\", which will run until 2003.<\/p>\n
\"After that, we are unsure if it will continue under
\nSwisscontact or be phased out by the Swiss government and
\ntransferred to a local entity. So a foundation is being prepared,
\nwhich will be the Clean Air Foundation of Indonesia (YUBI).\"<\/p>\n
Previous phases were the \"eye-opener\" phase, which made people
\naware of the pollution problems, followed by a combination of the
\nphase with \"conditioning\", which disseminated information to
\npeople of what the standard regulations were and how to reduce
\nemissions, especially from vehicles.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lets-open-our-mind-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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