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.