Environment watchdog demands ban on leaded gas
Environment watchdog demands ban on leaded gas
JAKARTA (JP): Environmentalists wrapped up the year with a
demand for an end to the use of leaded fuel and the holistic
management of rivers, seas and forests to reduce the problem of
pollution.
"Air and water pollution contribute to various illnesses such
as respiratory problems and diarrhea, which have become common
causes of death for our children," the chief of the Indonesian
Environmental Forum (Walhi), Emmy Hafild, said.
Walhi, in its year-end media briefing on Thursday, also
threatened to launch an international campaign to boycott the use
of Indonesian wood products as a last resort to dealing with the
country's complex problem of forest exploitation.
The ill-prepared implementation of regional autonomy may also
trigger friction between regions as they fight to claim ownership
of natural resources, she said.
"Since the local administrations are now the ones holding the
power and making decisions, they have to do it with regard to the
preservation of the environment, but they do not have any
experience in this," Emmy said.
Walhi suggested a revision of Law No. 22/1999 on regional
autonomy to allow bio-ecoregion policies to be made between the
provinces.
"River, forest and sea management must be integrated between
the regions since the location of these natural resources are
cross-border. So pollution in the river upstream will affect
those areas downstream," she said.
According to the group, the key to addressing the problem of
air pollution is to put into practice state-oil company
Pertamina's pledge to expand the use of unleaded fuel.
"Jakarta is supposed to be free from leaded fuel by January
(next year), and the whole country is supposed to use unleaded
fuel by 2003. But so far there is no sign of such an effort," she
said.
On deforestation, Walhi warned the government to take stern
action to stop the rampant looting of timber.
"Widespread environmental destruction has caused massive
floods and landslides ... but the government is still closing its
eyes and ears to the fact that more than 56.6 million cubic
meters of wood per year is obtained from illegal logging," she
said.
According to data from 1998, national log consumption that
year was 78.1 million cubic meters, but the amount of logs
legally cut was only 21.4 million cubic meters.
State Minister of the Environment Sonny Keraf said earlier his
office would prioritize the training of officers at the regency
level to allow them to make decisions from an environmental
perspective.
"They will be trained to deal with various issues such as how
to deal with investors, permits, environmental management and
coordination between related institutions," he said.
Walhi also contended that next year the government must focus
on foreign contractors involved in what it alleged was
environmental exploitation in Irian Jaya, Aceh, Kalimantan and
Sumatra.(edt)