Malang not as cool as before<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Malang<\/p>\n
Set in the mountains, the picturesque and cool city of Malang,
\nEast Java, is now getting hotter according to locals and not,
\nthey say, for a good reason.<\/p>\n
Situated at the foot of the Welirang, Semeru and Penanggungan
\nmountains, residents say the resort has changed for the worse
\nduring the past five years. They worry higher temperatures along
\nwith increasing pollution and traffic congestion will make Malang
\na less-attractive destination for tourists trying to escape their
\nown overcrowded cities.<\/p>\n
"Unlike several years back, Malang is now getting warmer; it's
\nnot that different now to Indonesia's second-largest city,
\nSurabaya," Rudi Sudarmanto, a management student at Brawijaya
\nUniversity (Unibraw) in the city, told The Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
Unclean air<\/p>\n
"The jams in several sections of Malang are now so severe that
\nthey resemble Surabaya's bottlenecks; they're forcing some
\nmotorists to wear masks so they don't inhale gas fumes," he said.<\/p>\n
Despite a mask -- and the mountain air -- Rudi said he still
\nhad frequent respiratory trouble with dizziness and sore eyes in
\nthe dry season.<\/p>\n
Rudi is not alone. Data from the Malang municipal health
\noffice shows that acute upper respiratory infections, while on
\nthe decline, are still widespread in the city. In 2000, 185,690
\npeople were infected, dropping slightly to 171,390, people in
\n2001.<\/p>\n
A similar pattern has emerged in the Malang region, with upper
\nrespiratory infections topping the list of the 10 most prevalent
\nillnesses in the area-- in 1999, 502,199 cases were recorded,
\nwith 437,873 in 2000 and 129,385 in 2002.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, these infections reached 419,401 in 2000,
\ndeclining slightly to 405,148 in 2001 and 401,362 in 2002.<\/p>\n
Compared with Surabaya, the incidence of respiratory trouble
\nin Malang is considered high, despite the large quantitative
\ndifference, in view of Malang's lower population and industrial
\ndensity.<\/p>\n
Head of Malang's Regional Environment Impact Control Board
\n(Bapeldada), Sailendra, said the change in Malang's air quality
\nwas the combination of land use planning decisions by the local
\nadministration, industrial growth, automotive gas emissions and
\nforest destruction around Malang following widespread illegal
\nlogging.<\/p>\n
But while they might be worsening, air quality test results
\ncarried out by the city administration in Malang in September
\nthis year, showed average city air pollution rates were still
\nwithin normal limits set out in the East Java Governor's Decree
\nNo. 129\/1996.<\/p>\n
At the always-busy Arjosari bus terminal, carbon monoxide was
\nrecorded at 0.70 parts per million (ppm), lower than the standard
\nof 20 ppm, lead at 0, sulfur dioxide at 0.0053 ppm (standard=0.1
\nppm) and ammonia at 0.0573 ppm (the standard is 2 ppm).<\/p>\n
"The highest record was held by dust at 0.167 ppm, still lower
\nthan the quality standard of 0.26 ppm. This dust is mostly likely
\nto have caused the high incidence of respiratory ailments,"
\nSailendra said.<\/p>\n
It was not caused by automotive and industrial gases, which
\nproduced lead and carbon dioxide, he said, but rather from
\nconflagration-prone forests and mountains around Malang like
\nthose in Batu, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, and the recent volcanic
\neruption at Mount Semeru.<\/p>\n
"The change in Malang's air quality is actually more due to
\nforest damage in its environs," he said.<\/p>\n
Forest destruction<\/p>\n
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park chief Herry Subagiadi,
\nagreed, saying the ecosystem imbalance was more affected by the
\ndestruction of forests around the city.<\/p>\n
"Timber theft, illegal logging and land reclamation for
\nplantations, settlements and farms have contributed to the
\nforests' destruction," he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Park data indicates that forest fires in the Bromo Tengger
\nSemeru zone in August covered 513.57 hectares, up from only 38.50
\nhectares in the preceding month. The figures may rise, given the
\nlack of awareness of ecosystem maintenance and the absence of
\ncontrols.<\/p>\n
Likewise, 13.50 hectares of forests were being illegally
\noccupied by squatters or companies who were clearing the land and
\nconstructing houses, farms and residential estates. Police are
\ncurrently investigating the cases.<\/p>\n
With forest fires and reclamation, about 30 percent of the
\nBromo Tengger Semeru National Park's total area of 50,276
\nhectares has been laid to waste.<\/p>\n
Herry said the damage excluded destruction in production
\nforest zones managed by the state forestry company Perum
\nPerhutani, which were also considerably reclaimed for agriculture
\nand plantations. Hundreds of hectares of forests in Malang
\nregency and its surroundings had been denuded," he said.<\/p>\n
Deforestation on mountain slopes also meant the areas become
\nvulnerable to natural disasters. In 2002, 1,241 locals were
\ninjured and four died in 49 landslides, 86 floods and 167 storms,
\nwhich destroyed 267 houses and 36 public buildings.<\/p>\n
The Sumber Pucung and Kalipare districts are notorious for
\ntheir landslides, while the districts of Bantur, Tirtoyudo,
\nSumber Manjing, Pagelaran and Jabung were known flood-prone
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Herry said car traffic on Mount Bromo had also damaged its
\nscenic beauty.<\/p>\n
History and modern-day development<\/p>\n
Located at an altitude of 399 meters to 662.5 meters, Malang
\nwas officially established by the Dutch colonial administration
\non April 25, 1938, and still has many historic buildings,
\nespecially centered around the Ijen Boulevard area.<\/p>\n
Today the area has become a nostalgic place, often frequented
\nby Dutch tourists.<\/p>\n
In 1879, Malang's municipal railways began to operate,
\ntriggering the city's rapid advancement. With the rising public
\ndemand for infrastructure, land use underwent a major
\ntransformation.<\/p>\n
More recently, the historic city is changing again. Declared
\nan international education city on Oct. 4, this year Malang is
\nnow growing quickly. Many new office buildings and supermarkets
\nhave sprung up on major roads and this year Malang Town Square
\nwill become the latest addition to growing list of superstores in
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
Real estate developers are also turning land plots into high-
\nbrow housing complexes.<\/p>\n
But as the development continues, infrastructure in the area
\nhas not followed pace, with many sections of roads in the city
\nremaining un-widened. Locals say the traffic congestion in
\ncertain parts of the city, particularly during peak hours, is now
\nbad.<\/p>\n
Industrialization, too, is on the increase in Malang. The city
\nlisted 179 medium-size businesses (with 20 to 99 workers) in
\n2003, up from 169 in 2001. Large-scale businesses (with over 100
\nworkers) last year totaled 41, as against 49 in 2001 and this
\nyear it is expected to increase.<\/p>\n
Manufacturers include food and beverage makers, chemical and
\nchemical processors, equipment and cigarette-production
\nindustries -- and they are doing well.<\/p>\n
In 2000, the income of medium-scale businesses amounted to Rp
\n222.112 million, which rose in 2001 to Rp 273.248 million.
\nEarning of large firms increased from Rp 4.279 billion in 2000 to
\nRp 5.4 billion in 2001.<\/p>\n
Sailendra said despite the intensified industrialization, all
\ncompanies operating in the area possessed environmental licenses
\nand the likelihood of their polluting the city's outskirts was
\nslim.<\/p>\n
However, reports show many firms have violated the rules,
\nprompting the board to keep monitoring pollution-prone businesses
\nlike chemicals producers, hospitals and restaurants.<\/p>\n
Action needed to restore past glories<\/p>\n
To restore Bromo and Malang to their former state, Herry said
\nall parties -- both the government and the state needed to be
\nwilling to act.<\/p>\n
Sadly, he said, the lack of coordination and understanding of
\nthe issues has persisted. An example was the regional
\nadministration going ahead with a motocross program in 2002 that
\nhad damaged Mount Bromo, a project which was against the wishes
\nof the national park management, he said.<\/p>\n
To reduce traffic congestion in Malang, the municipality is
\npreparing a commuter train project for next year, which is now
\nbeing deliberated by the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The city has proposed a budget of Rp 16 billion to operate the
\ntrain. Surabaya has operated a similar system since early this
\nyear, however the rate of traffic congestion in Surabaya has not
\nyet decreased.<\/p>\n
But while Malang is transformed, many say for the worse,
\nvisits by foreign tourists to the city have continued to rise.<\/p>\n
The municipal immigration office showed the number of short
\nstays increased in number from 7,957 in 2002 to 8,527 last year.<\/p>\n
Of the total, tourists from southeast Asia made the greatest
\nproportion of visits to the city.<\/p>",
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