Regreening the city desert
Robert Kelly, Jakarta
Believe it or not, Jakarta used to be a green city. Surrounded by lush jungle during its early colonial history, even as late as the 1950s large swathes of the suburbs consisted of farmland.
No longer, of course. Since independence, the twin forces of economic development and population growth have literally bulldozed their way through the city's greenery. For every area that has managed to retain some of its old charm -- Pasar Rebo, Cilincing or Kuningan, for example -- there are far more that have become urban deserts.
And that is becoming a serious problem. Trees are natural air purifiers: A healthy tree can filter out as many as seven thousand dust and smoke particles per liter of air, ridding the atmosphere of substances directly linked to respiratory disease. Trees can reduce storm-water flows by intercepting rainfall and absorbing moisture from the ground.
And, as Seoul discovered when it planted 15 million trees in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup, trees can noticeably cool the urban environment, by providing shade and by evaporating water from leaves. Suitably situated trees can lower a building's air conditioning requirements by up to 70 percent each year -- of clear value to a government currently grappling with an energy crisis.
In short, trees simultaneously address three of Jakarta's principal problems: Air pollution, flooding and energy consumption. So why are they fast becoming an endangered species in the capital?
Government initiatives to stem the tide have proved largely ineffective. It's difficult to see how Jakarta's "cleanliness, beauty and coolness" have improved since the Regional Development Planning Board chose to highlight them in 1981. President Soeharto's "Year Of The Environment" in 1993 and President Megawati Soekarnoputri's "Green Jakarta" program ten years later do not appear to have had long-lasting effects. Green areas now account for barely 10 percent of Jakarta's surface area: compare that with the 38 percent coverage boasted by Beijing, a city not unfamiliar with rapid development.
By some measures, Jakarta is now the third most polluted city in the world, after Bangkok and Mexico City. The city is constantly bathed in a visible haze of harmful pollutants: Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and smoke. According to the City Environmental Management Agency (BPLDH), Jakarta experienced just 26 days of "good" air quality in 2003.
Flooding is also worsening, exacerbated by the city's natural "sponges" -- swamps, woodland, lakes -- being progressively built over by impermeable concrete. In a city where just 3 percent of the population is directly connected to a sewer system, overflowing rivers and roadside trenches represent a real public health hazard.
Addressing Jakarta's environmental problems is clearly a major task, requiring the coordinated efforts of national and provincial government. The pressures are daunting. Jakarta can expect continued population growth in the years to come, and vehicle emissions, responsible for three-quarters of the city's air pollution, are growing by 5 percent each year.
But there are positive signs. Lapangan Merdeka and Senayan sports complex represent notable oases in Jakarta's urban desert. Further out, Ancol recreation area, Ragunan Zoo, Cibubur camping area and Taman Mini all provide valuable opportunities for Jakarta's residents to relax in green surroundings.
And solutions do exist to Jakarta's environmental problems. For example, the Clean Air Program, part of the city's Five Year Regional Development Plan, envisages more stringent vehicle emission controls. Pilot studies have shown that proper testing of buses and taxis can reduce their emissions by up to 90 percent.
But the most effective environmental tool at the government's disposal may also be one of the most straightforward to implement: Simply plant more trees.
Beijing, facing many of the same problems as Jakarta, has turned to a massive tree-planting program to help clean up its environment in time for the 2008 Olympics. All large roads and boulevards in Beijing have now been planted with rows of at least two tree species, and seven vast areas of vegetation -- with a combined area of 175 square kilometers -- are being established between the city center and the suburbs. The intention is to dedicate 43 percent of the city's total land area to trees and vegetation by 2008: That's more than Washington, DC, which has long prided itself on being one of America's greenest cities.
Jakarta would have much to gain by following Beijing's example. By launching a concerted program of tree-planting along roadsides, river banks and in other public spaces, and by offering subsidized trees to firms and private households for planting in office complexes and gardens, Jakarta could return to its historical roots and, once again, become a truly green city.
The writer is a freelance British journalist living in Jakarta and can be reached at robert_em_kelly@yahoo.co.uk