City takes a step closer to enacting its green approach
City takes a step closer to enacting its green approach
JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited bill on establishing the city's
Regional Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda) was
passed by the city council into bylaw yesterday.
The agency will assist the governor in addressing worsening
environmental problems in the capital, which is home to about 10
million people.
The United Nation's Environment Program has identified Jakarta
as the third most polluted city in the world after Mexico City
and Bangkok.
The agency's jobs will include formulating policy on
preventing and controlling pollution, coordinating efforts to
curb pollution and managing the environmental impact of
development projects.
Governor Sutiyoso said the agency was needed to put the city
in order.
"I regret that many people still fail to prepare an
environmental impact analysis report when they build factories
that have the potential to contaminate the environment.
"I hope such problems can be reduced once the agency is
established," he told reporters after attending the council's
plenary session
Council officials said the agency was urgently needed because
the rapid pace of development in Jakarta brought environmental
problems, such as pollution.
The council's Commission A for administration, security and
public order said one of the agency's most urgent jobs would be
to restore the ecological balance that has been disturbed by
development activities in Jakarta.
Commission D for development affairs said the agency should
take swift action to overcome the city's environmental problems,
which it said had reached an alarming level.
The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction warned that some
ongoing projects, such as reclamation of the city's northern
coastal area and the development of business and housing
complexes, were threatening the ecological balance.
"We await the future anxiously because citizens are facing the
impact of water and air pollution," faction head Lukman Mokoginta
said.
The faction blamed the city administration's lack of regard
for environmental issues for the loss of lakes, decreasing water
catchment areas, poor management of waste and constriction of 13
rivers throughout the city.
"The administration must have the courage and honesty to admit
the discrepancies and ignorance," Lukman said. "All the problems
show that the administration's efforts to curb environmental
impact have not been optimal," he said.
The administration admitted that many companies will begin
doing environmental impact analysis reports only when the project
starts operation, he said.
"We hope the agency will ensure that all regulations will be
reinforced without discrimination. The administration should be
brave enough to reject projects which do not have the
environmental impact assessments.
"Those who fail to honor the rules should be taken to court,"
he said.
Head of the agency Prawoto S. Danoemihardjo told The Jakarta
Post that the first environmental project to be executed by his
bureau in the near future would be to encourage Jakarta vehicle
owners to use gas fuel.
"We are concentrating on air pollution as well as water
pollution. For water pollution, we will soon submit a draft law
on construction of domestic injection wells," he said.
In the future, every resident who applies for a building
permit will be required to build an injection well as one of the
environmental facilities needed to retain adequate groundwater
supply.
Prawoto said he realized the bureau's duties would be very
difficult, due to the complexity of the city's environmental
problems.
"But if we don't start now, then when? This city has been
plagued by environmental problems for so long. It is time to take
action."
He said he would also revive the city's regreening campaign
and enforce the regulations on environmental management.
"With this new law, I hope we have a more powerful tool to
enforce the existing environmental regulations," he said.
(ind/edt)