More trees needed to for greener, cleaner Yogya

More trees needed to for greener, cleaner Yogya

Bambang M, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Before Prince Mangkubumi established the Mataram Kingdom in the
18th century, Yogyakarta was nothing more than a dense jungle
named Beringan.

But as time went on, the big trees in the forest were all
felled, so that two centuries later the city now suffers from a
lack of trees.

It's ironic indeed as the city, once a dense forest, and often
referred as a city of culture, art and education, at present has
practically nothing in the way of parks, let alone urban forests.
Almost all the city's area has been concreted over.

Only in small parts of the city such as Kotabaru, Baciro,
Gayam and Pengok, are mature trees to be found, but these pockets
are not enough to green the city, or make its filthy air any
fresher.

Even Yogyakarta Mayor Herry Zudianto admitted that there has
been a significant decrease in the area and number of open green
areas in the city.

"This is the result of the difficult choice that has to be
make, namely, whether or not to give priority to urban and
economic development so as to fulfill the people's short-term
needs," Herry told a seminar held recently at Gadjah Mada
University.

Other factors, according to Herry, included the chaotic
planning in the city and the local government's lack of knowledge
of the importance of green spaces. As a result, many of the
city's main streets do not even have shade trees along the
sidewalks.

"We have a very limited number of mature trees along the sides
of our main streets," Benny Nurhantoro, head of the city's parks
and cemeteries agency, said.

Unfortunately, he said, it was impossible for the city
administration to plant many more trees along the main streets
and roads at the present time as the sidewalks were already fully
given over to telephone and electricity poles and drains.

"All we can do now is just place potted plants on the streets
to brighten things up. This has nothing to do with preserving the
environment, however," said Benny, expressing regret that many
mature trees in the city had been felled in the past to make way
for so-called development.

The late poet Linus A.G. Suryadi recalled that the mass
felling of mature trees along Yogyakarta's main streets occurred
during the early 1970s, when major road-widening schemes were
underway.

"It's now clear that the younger generation of Yogyakartans
will have to suffer the consequences of out unwise policies in
the past. Yogyakarta is dry and hot. We can no longer enjoy the
comfort that characterized the city in the past," Linus once
wrote in a local publication.

Linus was not exaggerating. Air pollution due to vehicle
emissions has been a serious problem in the city for the last 10
years. Data produced by the local environmental impact agency
(Bapedalda) in 2003 revealed that of 150 vehicles checked, 80
were found to not meet the standards, and produced emissions that
exceeded the permissible degree of toxic elements.

A study on air pollution conducted by Gadjah Mada University
(UGM) students the same year also showed a significant increase
in air pollution in the city.

They found that the carbon monoxide (CO) content had reached
33 parts per million (ppm) in 2003 from only 19.95 ppm
previously.

Pieter, an official with the environmental impact agency, said
that 75 percent of the air pollution in the city came from
motorcycles. This makes sense given that the local statistics
office recorded 159,259 motorcycles in the city in 2000, and only
42,197 other motorized vehicles.

These figures have, of course, been increasing over the last
four years. It is estimated that some 10,000 of the 55,000 new
students entering universities in Yogyakarta each year bring
their motorcycles with them.

That excludes the increasing numbers of bikes being bought by
local people as a result of falling prices and tight competition
among motorcycle dealers.

As a result, the level of air pollution is continuously
increasing.

In addition, a study in 2003 by Chafid Fandeli, a UGM
lecturer, found that island's of heat, or thermal pollution
concentrations, were a problem in Yogyakarta. These are due to
human activities, including the use of air conditioners. As a
result, some places often had temperatures of up to 38 degrees
Celsius.

"This is extremely high, especially given that some 15 years
ago the maximum temperature here was only 33 degrees Celsius,"
Chafid said, adding that the study had also found a high
concentration of dust due to the emissions from Mt. Merapi.

The easiest way to mitigate some of the effects arising from
these problems, according to Chafid, was to plant as many trees
as possible. Trees, he said, had the ability to absorb all the
toxic gas emissions from vehicles, trap dust with their leaves
and decrease the temperature in the city's islands of heat.

The city administration plans to plant new trees on a total
area of 3,896 hectare. This area is made up of various places,
including sports fields, the grounds of educational institutions,
along roadsides and riverbanks, and in the gardens of private
homes and other buildings located all across the municipality.

Areas outside Yogyakarta municipality but still within the
outer ringroad that surrounds the city would also be included in
the planting program.

"The plan has been approved in principle. We are now awaiting
a political decision," Benny said.

As the planting of trees is the easiest and cheapest way of
tackling pollution-related problems, the regreening plan should
not be negotiable.

It must be implemented. Otherwise, Yogyakarta's air will
become dirtier, and it will cease to be an attractive place to
visit.