Officials ignore warnings on real environmental threats
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.