RI under threat of all kinds of pollution: WB report

RI under threat of all kinds of pollution: WB report

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia is under threat from air, water, solid and hazardous
waste pollution, although some of the country's achievements in
pollution management deserve recognition, a World Bank report
says.

"There are some significant achievements in pollution
management in Indonesia, such as the phase-out of lead gasoline
in Jakarta and the reduction in the use of ozone-depleting
substances. However, many challenges remain, especially in the
effort to improve air quality, increase sewerage and sanitation
coverage, and introduce better waste management," Thomas E.
Walton, lead environment specialist at the World Bank Office in
Jakarta, who led the team that drafted the report, said on
Tuesday.

The report, titled Indonesia Environment Monitor 2003, is
supported by information from various sources, including
government institutions, non-governmental organizations and
unpublished documents.

The report, published on Tuesday, stated that air quality in
Indonesia was under threat, causing increasing health problems
and productivity losses.

"Increasing urban growth, industrialization and motorization
are exacerbating air pollution," it said.

The main air pollutants in the country were lead and fine
particulates, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and
ozone.

It said that the number of motor vehicles in the country rose
by over six million between 1995 and 2000.

Forest fires, mainly caused by large-scale land conversion,
had also contributed greatly to air pollution in several cities
in Sumatra and Kalimantan, as well as neighboring countries.

"It is estimated that air pollution imposes costs of at least
US$400 million on the Indonesian economy every year," said
Walton.

The report praised the government effort to phase out leaded
gasoline, although the program would only cover all cities across
the country by 2005, which was two years later than the original
2003 deadline.

In water pollution, the report noted that Indonesia had one of
the lowest levels of sewerage and sanitation coverage in Asia,
and this was causing widespread contamination of surface and
groundwater.

Poor environmental sanitation brings economic losses and
reduced quality of life, according to the report.

Few cities had even a rudimentary sewerage system, and septic
tanks were directly connected to canals or rivers, causing the
country to experience repeated local epidemics of
gastrointestinal infections, and have the highest incident of
typhoid in Asia, it added.

Other sources of water pollution were mining and unregulated
effluent run-off.

In waste pollution, the report noted that poor and hazardous
management was degrading the land, air and water, and was also
having an impact on human health.

Open dumping remained the most prevalent form of disposal in
the country, with 90 percent of the waste being disposed off in
this manner, producing leachates that contaminated groundwater
and contributed to the proliferation of disease-carrying pests
and pathogens.

It said that approximately 1 million tons of hazardous waste
was generated in Indonesia in 2000, but there was very little
controlled disposal.

With decentralization, local governments had to take more
responsibility in planning and implementing solid waste
management programs within their areas, Walton said.