Environmental studies not effective: Expert
Environmental studies not effective: Expert
JAKARTA (JP): An expert said environmental impact analysis
studies are conducted too late to be effective.
Otto Sumarwoto, a former professor of environment at the
Padjadjaran University in Bandung, on Sunday criticized the
practice of separating the analysis, known by its local acronym
of AMDAL, from the economic and technical feasibility studies.
The environmental impact analysis should be conducted as part
of the feasibility studies of a project, he told a discussion on
environment protection held by the Association of Muhammadiyah
Students.
Instead, the analysis was as a mere formality, "as if only to
establish the legitimacy of a project", he pointed out.
In consequence, such analyses have become quite ineffective,
he told the Moslem students. Environmental degradation caused by
the factories and real estate projects then become difficult and
costly to contain, he said.
Environmental analysis studies are mandatory, to avoid
unwanted effects of a project on the environment. The 1993
government decree incorporated environmental analysis studies
into permits issued for projects.
It states that the studies are part of feasibility studies.
"The rules are already there," Otto said. He admitted,
however, that the question of environment protection often does
not rank high in factories or real estate' owners' priority.
"So, if a project is feasible economically, the environment
impact studies are often conducted merely to satisfy the rules of
the game," he said.
He cited numerous difficulties faced in enforcing the
requirement for environmental impact analysis.
"Even after the studies are conducted, their results often go
unheeded," Otto said.
Ignorance
An employee at an environmental consultancy agency, requesting
anonymity, agreed. She told The Jakarta Post how results of
environmental analysis, such as the health hazard posed by a
cement plant on the surrounding community, are largely ignored by
project owners.
She said a study on the cement plant did not cause so much as
a stir at the administration of the city where the plant is
located, because of the city's dependence on the company which
has contributed greatly to the development effort there.
"Something which has adverse impacts on people's health or
water cannot be taken lightly," she said. But she pointed out
that the management of companies or factories will have satisfied
decorum merely by saying that they have tried to minimize
impacts.
Some projects' owners see polluted water as a necessary price
to pay for development, she said.
Other speakers at the talks were Moslem leader M. Habib
Chirzin, and Emil Salim, the former minister of environment.
(anr)