Officials ignore warnings on real environmental threats

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration have turned a deaf ear to the warnings of experts that future floods could be worse if they fail to maintain or even expand the number of green areas in the city.

Planners, environmentalists and other experts often link the problem of flooding to the lack of green areas in the city as violations of the principles of environmentally friendly development continue.

"It is typical of the city officials that they always try to pursue short-term benefits as much as possible without considering the long-term problems that result," said Ahmad "Puput' Safrudin of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).

Puput was commenting on the planned development of a new business center in a 40-square-meter area of Senayan that comes under the control of the Senayan sports complex authority in Central Jakarta, and which was originally zoned as a public, green area.

There have been a number of controversial projects constructed in the Senayan area, including the Mulia Hotel, Plaza Senayan and Taman Ria Senayan.

Governor Sutiyoso has agreed to reconstruct the fire-razed flea market in Taman Puring in South Jakarta, whose location according to the 2010 city master plan is supposed to be a green area. He also approved the construction of a controversial sports mall in Kelapa Gading, East Jakarta, that was originally zoned for social and public facilities.

Chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Association of Planners (IAP) Abdul Alim Salam said the city would eventually pay an expensive price for the administration's lack of commitment to the environment.

If the development of a business centers in Senayan continued, it would cause environmental problems. But more problems would arise if the city needed more land for sports facilities in the future, he said.

Puput said the administration should expand the green areas in the city from the present nine percent to about 14 percent of the total area of Jakarta as mandated by the city master plan up to 2010.

"How can the city administration increase the number of green areas if it continues to violate the land use policies set out in the city master plan," said Puput, adding that the ideal extent of green areas should be 30 percent of the total area of the city.

Wicaksono Sarosa, an executive director of the Urban and Regional Development Institute (URDI), said that worse flooding would not be the only consequence of the dwindling green spaces.

The city would become hotter due to the loss of green spaces and because more people would buy air conditioners.

"So, those who suffer most will be the people who are not able to afford air conditioners," said Wicaksono.