Environmental protection a matter of attitude
Environmental protection a matter of attitude
JAKARTA (JP): Pollution has become an evil enemy of the living
world. Slowly but surely, with its invisible tentacles, it kills
plants, animals and humans.
The level of pollution in different parts of the world varies.
But generally, things are worse in developing countries, which
are striving to boost their economic development -- often at the
expense of the environment.
In Jakarta, as well as many other Third World's cities, the
air pollution is beyond tolerable levels, due to emissions from
factories as well as vehicles.
Cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes, which do not meet road-
worthiness standards, produce thick black smog wherever they go,
jeopardizing the surrounding environment. Unleaded fuel is not
popular and people do not really care about their vehicles'
emissions.
Many motorists are too lazy to regularly tune their cars, even
when they are heavily polluting the air. They prefer to wait
until the vehicle breaks down before taking them to a mechanic.
"They know about the dangers of pollution but they just don't
care," P.L. Coutrier, Deputy for Development of Indonesia's
Environmental Impact Management, said frowning.
In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post, he said that in
many cases, pollution problems have more to do with mental
attitudes rather than environmental awareness.
Calling for a change in mental attitudes, Coutrier urged
public transportation companies, as well as private car owners,
to pay more attention to their vehicles, checking them regularly
to reduce pollution.
In 1992, then state minister of population and environment
Emil Salim, launched the Blue Sky Program, which included the
smog check requirement, to reduce vehicular emission. The program
was in line with new Traffic Law No.14/1992, which has a special
clause on environmental impact. However, the operation of the
ambitious smog check plan was canceled following public protests
on Traffic Law No.14/1992.
The law introduced new obligations, such as requirements to
use seat belts and to subject vehicles to strict emissions tests.
It calls for stiff fines and penalties for violators.
Article 67 of the law states that anyone violating the
emission limit can face a maximum two-month jail term, or a Rp 2
million fine.
Because of strong objections by the public, to the hefty fines
in the new traffic law, the government was forced to postpone it
until September 1993, and then enforce it in stages.
The clause on environmental impact remains ineffective to this
day Coutrier noted sadly. "The government, in an effort to reduce
vehicular emissions, should put high priority on the
implementation of this article."
Rivers
Like its air, Jakarta's waterways are also heavily polluted.
Many rivers in Indonesia are contaminated by industrial, as well
as domestic, waste.
In 1988 the government launched the clean river operation,
code-named Prokasih. The result was incredible. According to
Coutrier, the volume of waste dumped into 25 rivers, in 11
provinces, was reduced by 50 percent.
"The polluting companies managed to reduce their waste without
changing the technology. What they are doing is improving
efficiency," Coutrier said.
He blasted companies which complain they could not afford the
waste minimization program. "If they had the will, I'm sure they
could do it," he said.
To reduce industrial wastes and hazards, Indonesia has begun
to adopt, in the upstream industries, the cleaner production
concept, developing and using cleaner technologies and processes.
It is not always necessary to apply high-tech or expensive
equipment in this cleaner production program, Coutrier said.
"Don't make judgments based on the instrument. What's
important is the result," Coutrier said.
He denied the assumption that Indonesia is left far behind in
the field of environmental technology.
"Basically, our technology is not that bad," he said.
Two officials from the California Environmental Protection
Agency, Tim Ogburn and Gary L. Saphiro, were here recently to
explore the possibility of building a partnership in the field of
environmental technology.
California is the home of 1,400 environmental technology
companies, which are ready to cooperate with interested
Indonesian counterparts, Ogburn said.
The state of California has built such a partnership with Hong
Kong and is working on the same project with Thailand.
"We are open to any business offers, but it depends on the
business people themselves which choice they will pick," Coutrier
told the Post after meeting with the American delegation.
He called on local industries to make thorough considerations
in their decision to choose the best environmental technology.
According to Coutrier, in the field of environmental industry
Indonesia has cooperated with companies from Texas, British
Columbia and Canada. (sim)