Equitable development vital for Jakarta
Equitable development vital for Jakarta
By Rita A. Widiadana
Otto Soemarwotto, a professor of biology, is widely respected as one of Indonesia's environmental advocates. He has spent most of his life promoting environmental issues in Indonesia and abroad.
A futurist, his ideas are considered controversial by many people, government officials in particular. But this has never affected Otto's stance on things he believes in. "A scholar must reveal the truth," Otto insists.
Born in Purwokerto, Central Java, on Feb. 19, l926, young Otto joined the School of Navigation in Cilacap, Central Jakarta, and served as a navigator in l944 and l945. He joined the Indonesian student troops during the Independence period between l948 and 1949.
In l949, Otto entered the School of Agriculture at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He graduated with a cum laude status five years later. He obtained his doctoral degree in plant physiology from the University of California in Berkeley, the United States in l960. He married a fellow student at Berkeley, Idjah Natadiparadja, a zoologist. The couple had four children, but their second child died during infancy.
Otto was appointed professor at Gajah Mada University when he was only 34 years old. In l972, he was appointed as Director of the National Biological Agency. He helped found and directed the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization and Biotrop in Bogor, West Java.
When he moved to Bandung in 1973, he established a Natural Resources and Environment Center at the University of Pajajaran in Bandung, West Java, the first of its kind in Indonesia.
Otto has produced abundant scientific reports and papers on environmental issues. He also promotes environmental studies. Among his scientific writings are Alang-Alang Problem in Indonesia and Ecological Aspects of Development. Otto also wrote a series of books for high school students. Among those books are Problem of High School Biology Teaching in Indonesia and Jaring- Jaring Kehidupan.
Otto's achievements in advocating environmental issues are recognized by domestic and international scientific circles. In l983, Otto received the Bintang Mahaputra, the highest honor, from the Indonesian government. In l993, the Wageningen Agriculture University in the Netherlands awarded him a doctoral honors degree in agriculture and environment.
He was appointed as a member of Board of Directors of the International Institute for Environment and Development in New York and London from 1971 to 1978 and is currently a member of International Commission on Ecology in Switzerland.
The Jakarta Post interviewed the professor on Wednesday regarding the looming water crisis expected to hit Jakarta and its surrounding areas in the coming years. Here are excerpts of that interview.
Question: The United Nations recently revealed its latest study which includes a warning that Jakarta is one of the cities in the world that will suffer a serious water crisis in the years after 2000. Do you see any truth in the study?
Answer: Many experts and various environmental agencies have long seen this possible danger. This is the official study done by a reliable world body and hopefully the government will immediately take this newest finding into its account.
Q: Does it mean that the government has never seriously considered the previous warnings on the potential threat of water crisis?
A: I think the government has already realized the problem, but for various reasons, no real and comprehensive actions have been taken to solve it.
Q: How bad is the water condition in Jakarta?
A: There are multiple factors which affect the current water condition in the city. Jakarta's land surface is on the same level as the sea during high tide. This topographical condition has made the city prone to flooding. The erosion of meandering rivers has worsened the situation. The erosion has caused severe sedimentation in the rivers and can easily cause overflowing of the river water.
The conditions are also aggravated by human factors, such as the destruction of the water catchments in the Bogor-Puncak- Cianjur areas and the southern part of Jakarta to make way for residential and industrial sites. The diehard habit of throwing waste into the rivers has also created pollution problems.
Population pressure has accelerated sedimentation in the city's 13 rivers, while encroachment on their basins continues to go unchecked. This will cause serious flooding like that which occurred last month.
The widespread flooding that hit Jakarta between Feb. 10 and 12 killed at least 22 people, forced thousands of families to flee homes, crippled the city traffic and caused about Rp 90 billion (about US$40 million) in material damage.
Water problems in most nations arise from inefficient and unsustainable use of supplies. Pressure on the world's water supply comes from population growth, pollution and the high cost of finding new resources. Development activity is also overwhelming water management.
This also happens in Jakarta. The need for tap water is so high for industrial and household activities, but the state-owned water agency is not yet able to provide sufficient quality tap water. This has led to over-exploitation of groundwater by households and industries.
The exploitation of groundwater reserves could lead to a drop in water table levels, sea water intrusion and pollution of the groundwater reserves.
The groundwater in North Jakarta is now subsiding and will drop by as much as four meters in the next three decades if the current groundwater exploitation is not properly controlled.
Some areas around Jl. R.E Martadinata and Penjaringan have sunk by between 70 centimeters and one meter.
By 2025 the ground level subsidence can be expected to endanger multi-story buildings, roads and bridges in the area. Groundwater exploitation has also caused Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta and the main thoroughfares, Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Jend. Sudirman, to gradually subside.
Groundwater use will still be high in 30 years due to continuing high demand in the capital city, whereas the capacity of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers, which supply water to Greater Jakarta, is limited.
The Ciliwung river now supplies 10 cubic meters of water per second to the greater Jakarta area, while the demand is now 30 cubic meters per second. By 2025, the demand for water is projected to reach 70 cubic meters per second.
The 1980 census recorded that Greater Jakarta had 16.9 million people and Jakarta proper 8.2 million. With population growth steady at 2.4 percent in Jakarta and 4.1 to 6.4 percent in Greater Jakarta, there will be 39 million people living in the areas by 2025.
You can imagine how much water will be needed.
What is happening now in Jakarta is that development projects and rapid population growth have gradually reduced the city's water catchment areas and led to over-exploitation of groundwater.
As the condition continues, Jakarta will sink in the next few decades. During the rainy seasons the city will likely suffer serious flooding which will get worse every year.
The dry season could also have severe implications on water supplies in the area. Overuse of groundwater could severely deplete water resources. Jakarta will face critical water shortages. The severity of the dry season in Indonesia has been less predictable over the last four years.
The rising temperatures due to global warming on the surface of the Central Pacific have in turn led to declining rainfall during the dry seasons in Indonesia.
In each of the last four years, the average rainfall in Indonesia was 62 percent of the normal rate.
Another serious problem is the city's ongoing project to reclaim 2,700 hectares of the Jakarta Bay. The project may result in more severe ecological problems for the city.
I think the planners only consider short-term advantages. But, they should actually think of long-term consequences.
The reclamation of Jakarta Bay will likely change the wave current in the bay and the waves will erode other beaches.
The planners should also consider the possible global warming process. One of the negative impacts of global warming is the rising of the tidal current.
The rise of tidal current will also prevent the flow of water from the city's rivers. This may result in devastating floods in the city and its surrounding areas when the reclamation project is completed.
Experts are not yet able to precisely estimate just how much the seawater will rise. But, there is a theory saying that for each centimeter of seawater rise, the line of the beach will decline one meter. When the rise of the seawater level reaches about 25 cm by 2020, the line of the beaches will decline 25 meters.
Other negative impacts of global warming could be increased rainfall, strong winds and typhoons, or hurricanes. Jakarta will be prone to hurricanes.
These predictable natural phenomenon should be considered when we plan to reclaim the Jakarta Bay or other beach front areas. Don't think only of short term benefits. We must think of the ecological disasters that will haunt us in the future.
Q: Do you think the government has made proper efforts to solve the water problem in Jakarta?
A: In search of short-term solutions, I think the government is already on the right track. The planned construction of canals, the straightening of the city's rivers and the upgrading of water ponds and swamps are the right solution although they are costly. But, they are only healing the wounds. Such efforts do not solve the core problems.
The government's vow to tighten control over the development activities in the Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur areas, which have been designated as the city's water shed, is positive. But, honestly I feel rather pessimistic because the government has rarely kept its promises. When the floods are over, they forget their promises. The situation is hangat-hangat tai ayam, just quick fixes and little more.
Q: What are your long-term suggestions to save Jakarta from further damage?
A: Jakarta has long been burdened by various development activities. The burden is so heavy now that the city cannot actually afford to accommodate any development activity.
The development projects cannot be stopped, but they can be regulated. Stop development activities in Jakarta and spread them to other cities.
There is an idea to move the capital from Jakarta. However, this is not a wise solution. It would spawn new environmental problems in other places.
I suggest that the government move its ministry offices to the proper places. The Ministry of Forestry, for instance, can be moved to Kalimantan because it is the center area for forestry. The government can also move its Ministry of Industry to Batam island and the Ministry of Mining to Irian Jaya.
This is my newest idea. People might think it crazy, but they have to think of the social and economic implications in the future.
Most investors are reluctant to open their businesses outside Jakarta because of lack of infrastructure. Various difficulties in obtaining operation licenses from related government offices are also a handicap. Investors must come to Jakarta to apply for the necessary documents. Therefore, it would be very costly and inefficient for these investors to open their businesses outside Jakarta.
It is no wonder that these investors flock to the capital because industrial activities are centralized in the city. Industries need a lot of human resources and therefore create urbanization problems. More and more people are coming to Jakarta for a better life. As a matter of fact, industries create serious population, social and environmental problems.
Let's say, the Ministry of Industry and related agencies are moved to Batam Island where industrial activities are encouraged. It would become unnecessary for investors to go to Jakarta. The investors will develop their industries on the island and absorb workforce from its surrounding areas. Such business activities will also boost the economies in the affected areas.
At the same time, industrial activities may also spread to nearby areas in Riau and North Sumatra. If such development activities were decentralized, people would no longer think of going to Jakarta to chase their dreams. This would certainly eliminate population and environmental problems in Jakarta because the city would lose its attraction as a business center.
A capital city does not need to become a major business center.
Now, the gap in the development and level of social welfare between Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia is still wide because of the centralization of industrial activities.
Q: Many people will think your idea is inefficient because it may be difficult for the President to communicate with his ministers and staff. What do you think?
A: We are now living in a hi-tech era. The President is now able to contact his subordinates by using telephones, facsimile machines, and other modern telecommunication equipment. If he wants to meet his ministers all together at the same moment, he can hold a teleconference. There is no more excuse for communication problems. If the President wants to meet his ministers, he may ask them to come to the capital once a month. It sounds so easy and efficient, doesn't it?