Development devastates environment

Development devastates environment

T. Sima Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Shopping malls have become a necessity for a metropolis like
Jakarta. It is a place where people can shop conveniently in
fully air-conditioned stores, enjoy various kinds of food, watch
the latest movies, or just hang out with friends.

No wonder more and more shopping malls are being built in the
city. Last year saw the development of more than 20 shopping
centers, including malls, in the Greater Jakarta.

This sounds like good news, especially when the city has not
fully recovered from the economic crisis which started to hit the
country in 1997. While many people are happy with the development
of these modern high-rise buildings, some have expressed
objections.

In Kelapa Gading, local residents protested against the plan
to build a sports stadium that will include an international-
standard basketball arena and a mall with 264 stores.

The project, which started in the middle of the year at an
estimated cost of Rp 70 billion (US$8 million), is being
constructed on a build-transfer-operate basis. The city
administration will regain both the land and building after 25
years of operation.

The protesters has filed a class action lawsuit against the
city governor and argued that the land should be used to build
social and public facilities, especially schools, not for
commercial purposes. They are afraid that the construction of the
sports stadium will create more traffic congestion in the narrow
streets and threaten their security.

Kelapa Gading, which probably has seen the most rapid
development in the city in the past decade, is one of the elite
residential areas in the city with many housing complexes and
stores.

It is likely, however, that the protesting residents and many
other thousands of people living in Kelapa Gading are not aware
that the construction of the sports stadium is not the only
controversial project in the area.

In fact, there is something wrong with the recent development
of the whole area.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said the
1985-2005 Master Plan (RUTR) stipulated that Kelapa Gading and
some other areas in North Jakarta like Sunter and Angke Kapuk
forests could not be developed for housing unless the city
implemented infrastructure, such as flood-control facilities, to
prevent environmental problems.

The infrastructure like the East Flood Canal and a number of
dams accommodating the city's 13 main rivers have not been
constructed or completed yet.

But the Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) housing area has been
developed in the Angke Kapuk forest, housing, and business areas
in Kelapa Gading, along with an industrial zone in Sunter. There
are also Vila Kapuk Emas, storehouses, and industrial areas
around Tegal Alur in North Jakarta.

The development of those areas was made possible thanks to a
revision of the 1985-2005 Master Plan in 1999, which became the
1995-2010 Master Plan.

The revision that was made in 1999 was apparently to
accommodate the violations of the original master plan that had
already occurred a few years earlier.

Under the revised land-use plan, many green areas in Pondok
Indah in South Jakarta, Tomang in West Jakarta and Senayan, which
is partly located between South Jakarta and Central Jakarta,
could be changed into housing or commercial estates.

Pondok Indah hospital and Pondok Indah Mall in Pondok Indah;
Plaza Senayan and the five-star Mulia Hotel in Senayan and the
Taman Anggrek Mall with its condominiums in Tomang are among many
buildings that have contributed to the dwindling catchment areas
in the city.

All of the establishments are equipped with beautiful
facilities. The developers are enjoying huge profits while the
rich are also pleased with the facilities.

However, there are other people, especially the poor, who
suffer from such development.

Those living near the Taman Anggrek Mall and condominiums have
complained about a scarcity of ground water. The people -- many
do not have access to tap water -- have said that they have to
dig deeper and deeper in order to obtain ground water.

The water crisis is only one of many problems caused by
uncontrollable development in the city.

Flooding is another problem which is no less serious.

Many small lakes, locally called situ, have also disappeared
or have diminished drastically, mainly to make way for the
development of housing complexes, industrial areas and golf
courses.

The city administration earlier admitted that it had sold one
lake here to private developers in exchange for shares in the
development of a business center in the Pulogadung area.

Official data shows that now there are about 15 lakes in
Jakarta.

Walhi says that the ideal percentage of green area should be
about 30 percent of the total area of the city.

Today, green areas account for only 9 percent of the total
area of Jakarta, or 63,744 hectares. The administration plans to
increase the green areas to 14 percent by 2010. While it is far
below the ideal figure proposed by Walhi, it also remains to be
seen if the administration can reach that target.

Development is indeed needed to boost economic growth and to
create more jobs. But development activities should not be
carried out at the cost of the environment.

The huge floods in January and February last year were obvious
proof of the negative effects of unsustainable development.

Activists have repeatedly called upon the city administration
to be cautious. Unfortunately the city administration has turned
a deaf ear. Nothing has been done to review its development plan.
The administration is also not selective in issuing permits for
development projects in the city.

In the middle of last year, the flea market in Taman Puring,
South Jakarta, which is supposed to be a green area, was razed by
fire. Now, a new market has been built on the site.

In the meantime, the city administration fails to give serious
attention to the development of infrastructure to eliminate
environmental disasters, such as flooding.

Nature gave us a strong warning through the massive floods
that hit almost all parts of the city early last year. It is sad
to note that little, if anything has been learned from the
disaster.