Public blamed for water problems
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite widespread problems of water scarcity and poor access to safe water facing the nation, people in the country have failed to show consistency or discipline to improve their living conditions, President Megawati Soekarnoputri said.
"Residents in many cities are suffering from a decline in quality water and land, an inconsistent city plan, dwindling green spaces and reoccurring floods," she said on Thursday at a ceremony commemorating World Environment Day, which falls on June 5.
"These are the situations that inflict losses to the quality of life in big cities, including Jakarta," she added.
The theme of the 2003 World Environment Day is "Water -- two billion people are dying for it!"
She said people had failed to be consistent in their efforts to conserve the environment, even though they used to participate in environmental campaigns, such as the one million tree and blue sky program.
The lack of discipline among people was a result of their leaders failing to set a good example, the President added.
Megawati said people and leaders who were consistent and disciplined would ensure that the environment rehabilitation campaign was a success, with many people, for example, planting trees in their backyards and housing complexes.
"This would be much cheaper than the government moving to carry out a rehabilitation program every year," she said.
Megawati refused to address what concrete actions were needed to tackle the problems concerning water resources, saying that some activities had been put in place in previous years.
During the ceremony at the National Monument (Monas) park, Megawati also planted Papuan Matoa trees and left her footprints on a slab of cement, but tactfully avoided the park's new herd of 12 deers.
State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim said that Java suffers from a water shortage four months out of the year, while Kalimantan was experiencing a decrease in its supply of water.
Ironically, floods have reoccurred in a number of cities during the rainy season, he said.
In addition, at least 80 percent of Indonesia's population of 215 million have no access to running water, which is supposed to be safe and clean.
Nabiel blamed rampant illegal logging, unrestrained land conversion and pollution for the bleak water picture.
During the World Environment Day ceremony, Nabiel announced that the government had granted the Kalpataru environment award to 12 individuals and communities who persistently fought for the preservation of the environment.
The recipients are: Yohanes Jaman from West Kalimantan; Hamzah from South Kalimantan; Laman from Riau; Titik Tarwati from East Java; H. Azil Anwar Abdul Rahim Kuty from South Sulawesi; Al Ittifag Islamic Boarding School in West Java; Tondang Sibidik Group in North Sulawesi; the Dayak Community in East Kalimantan; I Made Nitis from Bali; Martin Haulussy from Maluku; and Paris Sembiring from North Sumatra.
The government also awarded Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Badung and Tabanan, both in Bali, with trophies for being the cities that implemented the best environmental practices.
Next year, the government will carry out surveys on the environmental practices of 200 cities, an increase from the 59 that were monitored this year.