Regions react to environmental rankings<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Leaders of administrations declared as \"dirtiest places\" by the
\nEnvironment Ministry last Friday have reacted variously to the
\nannouncement.<\/p>\n
Head of the Sanitation and Environment Agency in Bogor, Achmad
\nSyarif, said Sunday that they would protest the labeling, arguing
\nthat the judgment was subjective and discredited the Bogor
\nMunicipality.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot accept the judgment as it gives the impression that
\nwe don't work at all (to clean up the town),\" Achmad was quoted
\nby tempointeraktif.com as saying on Sunday.<\/p>\n
During the Environment Award night last Friday evening, Bogor
\nwas named as one of Indonesia's dirtiest large towns, together
\nwith Bandar Lampung and Batam, while Tangerang, Depok and
\nPalembang were declared the dirtiest metropolitan cities.<\/p>\n
Achmad said that a team from the Bogor Sanitation and
\nEnvironment Agency would try to get clarification from the
\nEnvironment Ministry on Monday.<\/p>\n
Unlike the Bogor Municipality, the Tangerang Municipality was
\nindifferent to the announcement, with Mayor Wahidin Halim saying
\nonly that the announcement should serve as a challenge to work
\nharder.<\/p>\n
\"Just let it be. At least, such a judgment will encourage us
\nto work harder to improve the city's sanitation in the future,\"
\nWahidin told The Jakarta Post from Bandung, West Java, on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
He also said that the municipal administration was currently
\nfocusing on developing infrastructure including transportation,
\nhealth and educational facilities.<\/p>\n
\"We are widening several main roads to smoothen traffic. As a
\nconsequence, we have had to cut down many trees along the roads,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He said that the municipal administration spent 49 percent of
\nits 2005 budget to build 214 schools, including dozens of public
\nhealth centers in 13 districts, and that problems such as garbage
\nand pollution had been ignored.<\/p>\n
Wahidin admitted that road widening projects in Tangerang had
\nalso caused traffic congestion at certain points, while the
\npollution in the Cisadane River had still not been resolved.<\/p>\n
\"Right now, we are still focusing on infrastructure problems
\nso that we have yet to pay attention to the city's cleanliness,'
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
The government announced for the first time last Friday a list
\nof the country's dirtiest cities in a bid to encourage municipal
\nadministrations to clean up heavily polluted urban areas.<\/p>\n
Tangerang in Banten, Depok in West Java and Palembang in South
\nSumatra were named dirtiest metropolitan cities in the country,
\nwhile Bandar Lampung in Lampung, Batam in Riau Islands and Bogor
\nin West Java were listed as dirtiest big towns.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/regions-react-to-environmental-rankings-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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