JP/1/REPORT

JP/1/REPORT

Report reveals rapid environmental degradation

A. Junaidi
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Indonesia is facing unchecked environmental deterioration,
ranging from heightening air and water pollution to the increase
in critical land, the office of the State Minister for the
Environment said in its report.

The Indonesia State of Environment Report 2002, a copy of
which was made available to The Jakarta Post over the weekend,
details factors that contributed to environmental deterioration
last year. Despite the government's efforts to address the issue,
the condition was much worse last year than in previous years.

The publication of the report, which will be launched as a
book, was financed by the United Nations for Environment Program
(UNEP). The first environment report was issued by the state
minister's office in 1992, but due to financial constraints,
there was a ten-year gap until the next report was produced. The
2002 report is only the second environment report to be
published.

A team of 13 experts at the office of the State Minister for
the Environment conducted studies between 2001 and 2002 for the
report.

The report discloses that air pollution in major cities across
the country was mostly caused by an increase in the number of
vehicles on the roads. Industries, households and forest fires
contributed to the poor air quality in major cities. The report
concludes that these three factors were responsible for 30
percent of the overall air pollution.

The number of motorized vehicles in Indonesia has soared from
18.22 million in 1999 to 18.97 million in 2000, and then to 20.78
million in 2001. Of these, 99.9 percent are powered by leaded
gasoline and diesel fuel.

Massive forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan between July
and October 2002 also contributed to air pollution and disrupting
community health, as they caused respiratory illnesses, it said.

Water pollution has reached an alarming level due to
industrial, household and farmland wastes.

"Many factories, notably in Riau and East Java, are still
dumping their liquid waste to the river, so are thousands of
households in Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan, while residues of
fertilizer and pesticide have also damaged water resources in
farmlands," the report said.

It also said official dump sites in major cities like Jakarta
and Surabaya were not properly managed and thus contributed to
water pollution.

Environmental damage was also reflected by the increasing area
of critical land as a result of the swelling population, rampant
forest fires and illegal logging.

The environmental office found that illegal logging could not
be addressed properly because of the complexity of the problem
stemming from the extensive number of involved parties.

Instead of contributing toward a solution to the problem, the
police, the military, prosecutors, customs and excise officials
and regional administrations has only added to it, the report
said.

Data from the environmental office showed that damage to
forests across the country has affected 23.2 million hectares,
while damage to mangrove forests has reached 5.8 million
hectares.

The environmental destruction caused by forest degradation,
land conversion and pollution has resulted in a significant
decrease in the country's biodiversity.

"Between 20 percent and 70 percent of species have vanished,
according to data in 1993, and one species has disappeared every
day in 1997 because of the environmental damage."

The report attributed the increase in natural disasters, such
as floods and landslides, across the country last year to the
worsening environmental condition, water and air pollution,
forest fires and critical land created by illegal logging.

Sri Hudyastuti, an editor, said the 151-page book provided an
objective overview of the real condition of Indonesia's
environment.

"We want to draw the government's attention and incite a
response from the government and, especially, the people, and ask
them to participate in the environmental conservation movement,"
said Sri. She is also communication affairs assistant to the
deputy state minister for the environment.

She claimed the government had set up several programs to
salvage the environment, but it would be useless without
concerted public participation.

.rm70
Natural disasters caused by poor environmental management
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Place period disaster casualties

1. Jakarta Feb. 2002 floods 5
2. Medan/Deli Serdang, Dec. 2001- floods

North Sumatra Jan. 2002
3. Pacet, East Java Dec. 11, 2002 flood/landslide 26
4. Gunung Gemala, Dec. 2002 landslide

Lampung
5. Sumatra, Java, Bali, Apr.-July 2002 drought

Lombok
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Source: Indonesia State of Environment Report 2002