Welcome to Ende<\/p>\n
Some weeks ago I was on a sailing cruise and we anchored off
\nEnde, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, for a trip to Mount
\nKalimutu. We went by speedboat to Pantai Pasar, the beach
\nadjacent to the market. Upon arrival, the beach appeared to be
\nnothing more than an official garbage dump. Our transportation
\nwas waiting on the other side of the dump, so the passengers had
\nto delicately trudge through the trash in order to reach their
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n
The first question that would spring to most people's minds
\nwould be: Why of all places did you or your captain choose this
\nparticular beach to land at? That is exactly what I asked the
\ncaptain, and of course he answered that he did not know there was
\na garbage dump there. On consideration, the sheer question is
\nrather widely off the mark.<\/p>\n
The point in question is: Why do the vast majority of
\nIndonesians have a totally mythical approach to garbage disposal?
\nThe moment waste is out of sight they consider it gone. In bigger
\ncities, rivers, gutters and drains get massively clogged with
\nrubbish, causing severe floods every single rainy season.<\/p>\n
I don't blame the ordinary people. In the not so distant past
\neverything was wrapped in banana leaf which, indeed, decomposes
\nall by itself. The ones to blame are the authorities who are
\nentirely oblivious to the fact that plastic is not the same as
\nbanana leaf. If they choose to keep on snoring behind their desks
\nand don't take the initiative to educate the people, it won't
\ntake soothsayers to predict which crisis is going to hit the
\ncountry next.<\/p>\n
FRANS HUNEKER<\/p>\n
Gianyar, Bali<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/welcome-to-ende-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }