Govt launches environment fund
Govt launches environment fund
Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government announced on Tuesday it would provide for the
first time special funds to help selected regional
administrations preserve their local environments.
A total of Rp 112.5 billion (US$11.2 million) of special
funds, called the Special Allocation Fund for the Environment
(DAK LH), had been allotted in the 2006 state budget.
State Minister for Environment Rachmat Witoelar said the funds
would be distributed to 330 cities and regencies in 30 provinces
that needed support to preserve their natural resources and
environment.
State Minister for Environment Rachmat Witoelar said this was
the first time such special allocation funds had been designated
for the environment. The funds would act as a stimulant to
improve regional administrations' performance in carrying out
sustainable development.
"This program is not just a serious commitment by the central
government to protect our environment, but it is also an
expression of concern about the minimal amount of funds allocated
by regional administrations to protect their natural resources
and environment," he said, after officiating at the launch of the
special allocation fund.
Secretary to the Office of the State Minister for Environment
Arief Yuwono explained that for 2006, each of the selected cities
and regencies would get between Rp 300 million and Rp 1.7 billion
to be spent on prevention, restoration and monitoring of their
rivers.
"As the nation faces a serious water crisis, next year's funds
would only be distributed to improve water quality in the
regions," he said, adding that the funds would be disbursed on
Jan. 2.
"But the money will only go to cities and regencies that we
consider fiscally and technically unable to preserve their
environment with their own money."
He said that around 100 municipalities and three provinces --
Jakarta, Riau and East Kalimantan -- would not receive any of the
funds as his office considered their budget allocations for the
environment to be relatively high.
"We will only support regional administrations with budget
allocations for the environment of less than Rp 50 million," he
said.
The state ministry's regulation on technical guidance for DAK
LH 2006 usage stipulates that the funds can only be used for the
procurement of water quality monitoring devices.
However, according to the 2006 state budget, the amount
represents only 1 percent of the total Rp 10 trillion in special
allocation funds designated to education, agriculture, health,
maritime and fisheries, construction of regional facilities and
infrastructure.
The executive director of the Indonesian Forum for Environment
(Walhi) Chalid Muhammad slammed the policy, saying that such a
small amount of money would be better used for improving the
capacity of regional staff to deal with environmental issues.
"About 89 percent of our rivers are heavily damaged. The
budget is not sufficient to restore all of them. Moreover, rivers
are trans-regional; restoring their condition can't be solved by
sectoral (means). There must be an integrated effort ...
Distributing money to regional administrations won't solve the
problem," he said.
Chalid suggested that the funds be used to educate officials
in regional administrations and the community generally about
environmental issues.