Rolling back Jakarta's unhealthy urban desert

Rolling back Jakarta's unhealthy urban 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 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