Urban problems hot subject throughout Southeast Asia

Urban problems hot subject throughout Southeast Asia

Douglas Webster examines the challenges and opportunities facing the urban environment in ASEAN.

The urban environment has become one of the leading issues in the ASEAN states. "Brown issues", as urban environmental concerns are now labeled, are surpassing "green issues", that is, primarily rural environmental issues, in terms of public concern and debate. Future expenditures in ASEAN to reverse urban environmental degradation will be large, totaling perhaps US$50 billion by the year 2000.

This rapidly increasing concern for the urban environment in ASEAN is being driven by a number of factors:

* The majority of the population in all current ASEAN states will live in cities before 2010;

* The middle class is the fastest growing socio-economic class in ASEAN cities (with the possible exception of the Philippines);

* Increased globalization of the world economy is leading to pressures on all countries to meet basic environmental standards related to urban activities, particularly manufacturing;

* Public opinion in Asia related to the environment focuses more on public health issues and the immediate environment than on rural and global issues such as biodiversity, protected areas, ozone depletion and so on.

It is in middle-income cities, the category in which most ASEAN cities fall, with the exception of Singapore, that urban environmental problems tend to be worst; large-scale industrialization has occurred, motor vehicles are widespread; but effective responses to urban environmental degeneration have not yet been formulated or are "in the pipeline". For example, the World Bank indicates that air pollution peaks at about $3,000 per capita in major world cities. However, ASEAN city regions face the advantage of falling rates of population growth before the end of this century and have access to financial resources to respond to urban environmental problems.

The primary environmental problems in ASEAN cities, again Singapore is an exception, are air and water pollution, and solid waste treatment and disposal. Congestion contributes to the severity of these problems. As a generalization, air pollution is primarily caused by vehicles, not industry, particularly two- stroke engine vehicles (largely motorcycles) and overloaded diesel-fueled buses and trucks. Power generation and heavy industry are also significant factors in air pollution.

Water pollution is primarily caused by domestic wastewater because of a lack of adequate sewerage systems. Industry contributes substantially to water pollution as well, particularly in terms of firms emitting liquid pollutants (and to a lesser extent solid wastes) into waterways and drains. Solid waste is a problem in most cities of the region primarily because of high rates of growth in consumption. Hazardous waste, particularly hospital wastes and toxic substances, is often not adequately handled in the region's cities.

In affluent Singapore, the priority urban environmental concerns relate to indoor air pollution and urban amenity issues, such as historical preservation and urban design.

Issues

There are a number of key urban environmental issues facing ASEAN city regions. Firstly, there is institutional fragmentation of urban environmental functions which means that quality and effectiveness of measures vary considerably among sectors, and that potential synergies are not achieved, for example, solid waste blocks drainage systems that would otherwise function well.

Secondly, management systems and instruments to improve the urban environment are poorly managed. Added to that is a lack of decentralization, which impedes the capability of local authorities to take action (they lack human, technical and monetary resources).

Then there is also an inability of public sector authorities to effectively assess technologies in the context of aggressive marketing by private firms, for example, choosing between incineration and land-fill in addressing solid waste problems.

And finally, there is a preponderance of medium and small firms that are difficult to monitor.

What can be done?

* "Do it right the first time". Most demographic growth and new economic activity will occur on the periphery of existing urban regions. For example, in the extended Bangkok region close to 80 percent of demographic growth will occur outside the existing Bangkok Metropolitan Administration area. In these areas, good environmental infrastructure can be installed and high amenity communities can be created at reasonable cost.

* In existing built-up areas, the emphasis in terms of environmental rehabilitation should be on wastewater and traffic congestion reduction.

* Most of the industrial plant and energy generating capacity that will exist in ASEAN by 2010 has yet to be built (perhaps 80 percent of the former and 65 percent of the latter). Thus, as a priority, emphasis should be on ensuring that new industrial plant and energy generating capacity meet high standards in terms of process engineering conducive to urban environmental quality. Furthermore, to the extent possible, new and existing industry should be encouraged to (re)locate to industrial estates with high levels of environmental services.

* Eighty percent of manufacturing-sourced pollution is currently generated by five to 10 industries in most ASEAN urban regions, these industries should be targeted for clean up.

* The traffic problem must be solved in cities such as Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta. Political will is needed to implement and enforce demand side measures (as is being done to some extent in Jakarta), especially until supply side projects can be completed.

* The institutional framework for effective delivery of urban environmental infrastructure and services needs considerable development. Given the consensus that privatization of environmental services is generally beneficial, well thought out policies, procedures and instruments to achieve this objective are needed. As a component of institutional strengthening, ASEAN urban regions should consider developing and implementing urban environmental strategies.

* There is a need to further increase the awareness of the public in terms of their environmental behavior, for example, as consumers and voters. Increasing high quality media coverage of the issue would contribute to awareness.

* Measures to improve the urban environment should work with market forces and public opinion (including community preferences), not against them.

* Polluters should pay; as should users or beneficiaries of environmental services such as wastewater treatment, recreational facilities and so on.

Dr. Douglas Webster is Senior Urban Planning Adviser in the Urban Development Coordination Division, National Economic and Social Development Board, Thailand.