The Dog Is Dead So Throw It in The River:

Environmental Politics and Water Pollution

in Indonesia -- An East Java Case Study

By Anton Lucas with Arief Djati

Monash Asia Institute, Australia 2000

152 pp

A$25

JAKARTA (JP): The book's title is catchy, taken from the last line of a popular Javanese jingle which was used by then East Java governor Basofi Sudirman to start an environmental campaign in Surabaya in 1994.

Unfortunately, it reflects the true practices of some people, irresponsible individuals and industries, in dumping all kinds of waste into the rivers.

Although the book centers only on water pollution in Surabaya, where its case study took place, such practices occur in most big cities where many residents, mostly urban poor living on the riverbanks, still depend on rivers as the source of their drinking water or for bathing and washing.

The book, which is divided into several topics and accompanied by maps and systematic tables, interestingly discusses environmental problems in the province since the 1970s, when pollution first became a political issue and grabbed media headlines. The book explores some of the problems, such as the authorities' response toward environmental issues, several pollution-related cases and some measures taken to clean the rivers.

Handling the problem of waste is not easy. As highlighted in the book, there is the nagging dilemma between balancing concerns for the environment and development.

The impact of environmental problems, especially water pollution, is not something that simply can be ignored. The book quoted several media reports about the discovery of high levels of heavy metals in blood samples of young children and in the breast milk of 90 percent women living near Kali Surabaya river.

For concerned officials, the book is a must read, at least to help them in handling such problems. For environmental activists and lovers, the book will certainly be a good source of information. (ste)