Jakarta Obtains Rp19 Billion from Emission Gas Reduction

Friday, 28 September, 2007 | 17:26 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Jakarta government will obtain Rp19 billion if it can reduce 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide gas emissions from the busway project. “There are potentials that aren’t yet exploited from the busway,” Jakarta Deputy Governor, Fauzi Bowo, told reporters at City Hall yesterday (27/9).

According to Fauzi, the policy is in line with the Kyoto Protocol, an international accord on global climate change. If the emission gas reduction is successful, the United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) will grant a certificate. The certified project will be eligible for fund assistance from developed countries that are concerned with an environmental program. “We’re exploring the project,” said Fauzi.

According to the Project Manager of the Clean Air Project, Dollaris R. Suhadi, the time for research to obtain the certificate is estimated to be a year. “The estimated funds are US$500,000 to US$1 million,” he said.

The Jakarta Transportation Service Deputy Chairman, Udar Pristono, is optimistic with the UNEP program. According to Udar, since the busway was first operated in 2004-2005, public transportation and private vehicles decreased 14 percent from five million.

More companies promise to protect Jakarta Bay area

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several more companies located in the vicinity of Jakarta Bay have promised to revise waste disposal methods in an effort to reduce pollution.

Some 37 out of 85 companies in the area have now signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) detailing their commitment to protecting the bay.

"We will give them one year to meet their commitments, and if they fail to do so, we will withdraw their business licenses," Ridwan Panjaitan, head of pollution control at the Jakarta Environmental Management Board (BPLHD), said Tuesday.

Under the MoU, each company must treat its solid, liquid and hazardous waste and control air pollution from fixed and mobile sources, including emissions from factories and vehicles.

The companies are also required to submit reports about their progress to the BPLHD.

Companies that signed the MoU last week include Koja Container Terminal, state port operator Pelindo II in Tanjung Priok, the management of Ancol Dreamland recreation park and PT Indonesia Marine.

Residents argue a decline in fish numbers in the area is due to heavy pollution emitted from factories and businesses operating along the bay.

The program to clean up Jakarta Bay was first launched last year, with 19 companies initially signing the MoU.

However, only 10 companies have carried out their promises so far.

"Nine companies have not submitted reports regarding their progress. We will send them warning letters soon," he said.

The Jakarta administration has also been under pressure to clean up the city's river system recently.

The administration said 13 rivers flowing into the Jakarta Bay contribute at least 14,000 cubic meters of household waste to the area daily. This is almost half of the estimated 28,435 cubic meters of waste that enters the bay, endangering coral reefs and other sea life.

The Kepulauan Seribu regency is currently using four boats and a barge to clean up the sea, with collected garbage disposed of at the Bantar Gebang sanitary landfill in Bekasi.

The capital currently produces more than 6,000 tons of garbage per day.

Jakarta Bay end destination for much of city's trash

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thirteen rivers flowing north to Jakarta Bay bring at least 14,000 cubic meters of mostly household garbage each day, or about half of the total of 28,435 cu m of garbage that pollutes the sea.

Head of the pollution control unit at the City Environment Management Board (BPLHD) Ridwan Panjaitan said based on a recent study most of the floating garbage in Jakarta Bay was made up of plastic products.

"Fifty four percent of the floating garbage in Jakarta Bay is made up of plastics and the 13 rivers continue to transport a huge amount of trash," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The study said 24 percent of waste was from wood-related products but the remainder was made up of rubber and garment material.

The Kepulauan Seribu regency regularly deployed four boats and a barge with the capacity to hold 40 tons to clean up the sea before disposing of garbage at Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi, Ridwan said.

"It is a boring job for the administration but few households care about treating their domestic trash and many simply throw it in the rivers."

The correct treatment of waste at the household level would be key to improving waste management in the capital, he said.

The administration last year allocated Rp 10 billion (US$1.1 million) to research the chronic problem of waste in Jakarta Bay.

"We are still formulating a plan of action to settle Jakarta Bay's problems," Ridwan said.

He said his office would try to clean Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta as a pilot project.

"Through this project we will determine who should filter the garbage in the river and who should be responsible for its transportation to the dump," he said.

The administration has long been under pressure to treat its growing waste, which is mostly domestic garbage.

The capital currently produces more than 6,000 tons of garbage per day and dumps it to Bantar Gebang sanitary landfill.

The increase of garbage in Jakarta Bay came after the administrations of Jakarta, Banten and Bogor agreed to rehabilitate the rivers.

Under the 2006 agreement, it is Jakarta's responsibility to increase the quality of Ciliwung River, Banten's responsibility to fix Cisadane River and West Java province's to clean the Citarum River.

Environmentalist said the garbage pollution in Jakarta Bay would further damage coral reefs and endanger turtles.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said the poor coordination of authorities was the main reason the waste problem remained unresolved in Jakarta Bay.

"Maintenance of the river is under the Public Works Ministry while the quality of the water in the river is handled by the State Ministry for the Environment," Walhi executive director for Jakarta Slamet Daroyni said.

"But it is not clear who is responsible for the waste in the rivers."

There are 13 rivers that pass through Jakarta and West Java provinces, which means the main responsibility should be in the hands of the central government, he said.

Slamet said he was worried the city sanitation agency could not treat the waste in the sea because it could not solve dry land waste problems.

He also asked the administration to tightly monitor companies operating near the rivers.

RI's natural resources could help cancer patients

The Jakarta Post

Research in the U.S. has shown 70 percent of diseases including cancer are related to unbalanced and unhealthy dieting, a herbal treatment expert said in Jakarta on Saturday.

U.S.-based Paulus W. Halim has been a herbal treatment consultant for cancer patients for 25 years and said Eastern medicine combined with Western cancer treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and hormone therapy could offer new hope to cancer patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted nine million people would die from cancer-related illnesses in 2015 and 11.4 million in 2030.

"Cancer cells are carried in the human body, even in a healthy person," Halim said.

And a decrease in the body's level of immunity can activate the development of these cells, he said.

WHO statistics show cancer killed approximately 206,000 people in Indonesia in 2005.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Indonesia, while bronchus, trachea and lung cancers make up the leading causes of deaths among Indonesian men.

But Indonesia is one of the world's richest countries in terms of natural resources required to make up herbal treatments used to help fight cancer.

From the 40,000 varieties of flora worldwide, 30,000 exist in Indonesia.

And more than 900 of these were used in herbal medicine, Halim said.

Plants such as daun dewa (gynurae procumbensis folium), kunyit putih (kampfera rotunda) and varieties of edible mushrooms such as maitake (Grifola frondosa), shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and reishi (ganoderma lucidum) were just a few plants that could be used in the herbal treatment of cancer patients, he said.

In conjunction with herbal and conventional treatments, cancer patients should also ensure 80 percent of their diet consisted of fresh vegetables and fruits.

The remaining 20 percent should be made up of cooked foods including beans, Halim said.

"Don't feed cancer with foods (including) white sugar, sweetener, cow's milk or red meat," Halim said.

Too much of this type of food would encourage cancer cells to grow.

Halim said unhealthy psycho-emotional and hormonal conditions, a polluted environment and a reckless lifestyle including smoking and a lack of exercise should also be avoided.

He said cancer patients should follow a vegetarian diet "because humans are basically herbivore creatures".

Halim also said most people regarded food "as just food" but that cancer patients particularly should see food as a potential medicine.

Halim said a healthy mind and spirit were also essential in the fight against cancer.

"That is why maintaining a positive attitude and always being with people who care is important."

Mining activity in PNG polluting rivers in Merauke district

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Waste materials from gold, silver and other kinds of mining activity in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are believed to have polluted the water in several rivers flowing toward the sea in Merauke District and other parts of Indonesia`s Papua province, a local human rights activist said.

The waste materials were believed to have been produced by the mining operations of a PNG-US-Australian joint venture in the Oc Tedi River in PNG, Frits B Ramanday, head of the economic, social and cultural section of the Papua branch of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said here Wednesday.

Tailngs from the mining activity in PNG were disposed of in the Fly river whose downstream part flowed through Merauke district, he said.

People in Merauke district had complained about skin problems and often found dead fishes in the Fly river giving rise to the suspicion that the river water was polluted by mercury, he said.

Ramanday said mining, building construction and illegal logging activities in Papua were now beginning to create various problems, including environmental ones.

Affected people had often reported such problems to Komnas HAM`s Papua branch office but the commission could not handle them well due to lack of data and supporting facts.

The commission, he added, was planning to hold a seminar to get more clarifications on environmental problems caused by mining and other developmental activities.

"We want to build a strong network with our partners here to prevent local people from being victimized by such activities," he added.

Jakarta beats neighbors at cleanliness awards

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It may be a shock to some readers, but Jakarta's five municipalities have won the Adipura award, the country's only environmental prize for the cleanest and greenest cities Wednesday.

But the dirtiest cities in the annual competition, which was organized by the State Ministry for the Environment, were Jakarta's neighbors -- Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

The capital's main thoroughfare, Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, won the urban facility category, judged to be the best street in the country.

In addition, the Jakarta administration received an award out of all the provinces for the best written annual report on the environment.

However, the capital failed to receive the Adiwiyata award for clean schools, which was awarded to a state elementary school in Sukabumi, West Java.

The trophy for Adipura winners was handed over by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday, while the winners of Adiwiyata award and the environmental report award were announced by environment minister Rachmat Witoelar at the Hotel Sahid.

Rachmat said Jakarta's success could set a good example for the environmental efforts of the city's neighbors.

"Neighboring cities need to learn about how Jakarta treats its environment," he said.

Jakarta has long accused neighboring cities of damaging its environment. This is despite the fact that Jakarta dumps more than 6,000 tons of garbage in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, every day.

Rachmat said the scoring system for the Adipura awards had been tightened after more administrations joined the program.

"There are now 362 cities ... joining this year's Adipura awards, compared to only 59 cities in 2002," he said.

The award looks at factors such as waste management and green areas to determine the winners.

The Adipura award requires administrations to promote composting efforts in areas such as schools, traditional markets, hotels, terminals and restaurants.

Mohammad Helmy, one of the Adipura judges and the ministry's deputy assistant for small scale enterprises and domestic waste pollution control, said Jakarta had done the best job of treating the organic waste.

"We've also seen the Jakarta administration's seriousness about increasing green and open spaces, for example by converting Menteng park into some of the city's green space," he said.

The city currently has only 5,911 hectares of green space, around 9 percent of the capital's total land area. This is far less than 30 percent stipulated by the Spatial Planning Law.

The administration is aiming for 9,156 hectares, or around 13.94 percent of Jakarta's area, as green space by 2010.

Governor Sutiyoso handed the Adipura awards to each of Jakarta's mayors before launching a victory parade through the capital.

"This is a great achievement and I am thankful to all the mayors who succeeding in leading their people to a live a clean life," said Sutiyoso said.

Jakarta's municipalities, with the exception of East Jakarta, also received the award last year.

"This is a precious gift, but I am not satisfied until all the rivers flowing through Jakarta are clean," said Sutiyoso, whose term will end in October.

"We have to maintain our cleanliness so the awards won't go to other cities."

February flood left polluted soil in East, North Jakarta: Study

Adianto P Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the use of lead in fuel was stopped last year, lead contamination in city soil hit dangerous levels in the aftermath of the February floods, a survey has revealed.

The survey, carried out by the State Ministry for the Environment, showed the lead level in soil at industrial areas in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta reached 359.5 milligrams per kilogram after the floods, far higher than tolerable standard of 100 mg/kg.

"That's a very dangerous level because it will pollute the sources of ground water in surrounding areas," I Ketut Muliartha, the deputy assistant for the recovery of environmental quality at the environment ministry, said Thursday.

He said deposits of lead in soil were toxic to both humans and animals.

For humans, lead poisoning can cause birth defects and damage brain cells, marrow, kidneys and other vital organs, particularly in children.

"We think the lead pollution is from metal processing plants in the area or paint from buildings that had been absorbed into the soil," he said.

Lead was widely used in paint in the past.

He said the finding had been handed over to the management of the Pulo Gadung industrial area for them to follow up.

Dozens of industrial areas in Greater Jakarta were severely hit by the February floods.

The ministry survey also took samples of floodwater at a hospital in Kepala Gading and at Pertamina's fuel depot in Plumpang, both in North Jakarta.

The survey found metal pollutants surrounding the hospital and the Pertamina depot were relatively low.

"But the level of micro organisms in the flood water around the hospital was relatively high, reaching 98,000 to 157,000 per milliliter," he said.

The oil content found to have leaked into the water at the Pertamina depot was relatively low at 828 mg/kg.

"We wanted to make sure the depot hadn't leaked and polluted nearby areas during the floods," he said.

The February flood was the largest flood in five years, inundating around 70% of the city and causing severe economic losses.

Many industries were forced to close their operations by the high water level.

Ketut said some industries, which had yet to set up waste water processing plants, might have used the flood as an opportunity to illegally dump their waste.

The Jakarta administration has admitted that many businesses operating in the capital are not equipped with waste water processing plants.

Ketut said the results of the survey could not be used to draw conclusions about the state of all the city's soil.

"But it is warning call (for the whole city) because the soil is seriously polluted. So companies also have to be serious about treating their hazardous waste by improving their waste water processing plants," he said.

The ministry currently handles 15 areas polluted by hazardous waste across the archipelago. Most sites had been contaminated by the activities of mining, oil and gas companies.

Ketut said his office recovered 12 hectares of contaminated land last year.

Meanwhile, Budi Haryanto from health department at the University of Indonesia was surprised with the finding.

"The government must trace the source of the lead soon to avoid it polluting ground water in the area. It's dangerous for the human health," he told the Post.

Half of the Jakarta's approximately 10 million people currently rely on ground water for drinking. Groundwater has long had problems with contamination with E-coli bacteria.

Environmentalists in Jakarta had urged the government to stop using lead in gasoline produced by state-oil and gas company Pertamina since 2001.

Budi, who has conducted surveys on lead, said children were the most susceptible to poisoning.

His survey found the lead content in the blood samples of Jakarta elementary schools students dropped from 8.6 microns per milliliter to 4.2 microns when the phase out of lead was introduced. The tolerable lead in human blood is 10 microns per milliliter.

Megacity leaders must see more green: Experts

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Enormous strains on the environment, caused by huge increases in the city's population, will be the foremost challenge for decision makers in a future megacity, experts said Thursday.

Economist Howard Dick from the University of Melbourne said that the more populated Jakarta of the future would consume more productive land and energy and worsen traffic congestion and public health.

"We must make sure the environment has been taken into account from the very beginning because heavy environmental footprints cause bottlenecks," Dick said.

Dick was a speaker at a Thursday seminar on Leadership in Megacities organized by The Jakarta Post.

Also speaking in the seminar was Zao Muyao, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress.

Zao said his administration had made public transport issues its main priority in order to better control long-standing traffic problems and ward off the risk of large-scale congestion.

"We keenly feel that, due to structural problems, optimizing traffic structure and increasing the appeal of mass transit will be the most effective way of dealing with the root causes of (congestion)," he said.

Transportation is considered to be the main contributor to air pollution worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates air pollution kills around 130,000 urbanites a year in developing nations.

Zao said the Shanghai administration planned to build a conservation-oriented and eco-friendly city to help conserve energy and protect the environment.

"In this way, resources will no longer be a bottleneck for development, pollution will be eliminated and a scientific and harmonious development path will then unfold," he said.

The Shanghai administration has issued a three year plan of action for environmental protection.

The initiative has been aimed at protecting aquatic environments, air quality, the reuse of after-treatment solid waste and the treatment of industrial and agricultural pollution.

"(The plan) must help improve urban management and the living standards of citizens," he said.

Plans are underway to form Jakarta and its neighboring cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Puncak and Cianjur into a megacity collectively dubbed Jabodetabekpunjur.

The planned conurbation will consist of 9,624 square kilometers of land with a total population of over 23 million.

The concept was refloated by Governor Sutiyoso last year as part of efforts to resolve environmental problems such as air pollution and the capital's water crisis.

A megacity is generally considered to be an urban area with a population of over 10 million people

Bekasi to trade CO2 reductions

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Bekasi municipality is hoping to generate funds through the trade of carbon by offering the ten-hectare Sumur Batu sanitary landfill site in Bantar Gebang to investors.

The head of the city's environmental agency, Dudi Setiabudi, said the Sumur Batu landfill currently handles 1,600 cubic meters of solid waste per day and produces 66,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.

"We are now in the process of tendering the project to investors who are interested in developing it as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project," Dudi said.

Dudi visited the office of the Designated National Authority (DNA) on Wednesday to discuss the planned project, which will destroy methane gas generated at the landfill.

The DNA is a government body tasked with approving local DNA projects before they are submitted to the United Nation's Executive Board which has the final say on whether or not projects are viable.

Dudi said that several foreign companies from countries including Korea, Japan and France had expressed interest in the project.

"The initial investment needed to secure the required technology to process methane gas is over Rp 9 billion (approximately US$1 million) so we have to determine the winner through a tendering process," he said.

He said that based on a feasibility study conducted by the World Bank, the project could be extended for up to 21 years.

Dudi said that his administration had prepared all documents required to register the project with the DNA.

"We have discussed the plans with people living in close proximity to the planned project. They welcome the CDM idea because the project will mean landfill is managed better," he said.

The Bekasi administration is expected to register the project with the DNA in June.

The Sumur Batu landfill site, which is located near the 108-hectare Bantar Gebang landfill belonging to the Jakarta administration, is currently operated by the Bekasi Sanitation Agency.

However, Dudi said that residents living near the facility often complain about the poor waste management system which causes air and water pollution.

"We hope private investors can develop a waste management system that may reduce air and water pollution. The CDM project will benefit local people and provide extra income to the administration," he said.

The CDM is in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, which encourages developing nations, including Indonesia, to develop projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Developers of projects receive a Certificate of Emission Reduction from the United Nations Executive Board, which specifies the amount of carbon that can be traded to rich nations.

A ton of CO2 reduction is currently valued at between US$5 and $10.

However, many predict that a ton of CO2 reduction may eventually reach up to $30.

23 Ozone Depleting Substances Prohibited

Thursday, 26 April, 2007 | 17:01 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Industry Minister has prohibited the production of ozone depleting substances and other items that use ozone depleting materials.

The regulation is part of Industry Ministerial Regulation No 33/M-IND/PER/4/2007.

The regulation which was issued to catch up with the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol that oblige Indonesia to gradually wipe out the usage of ozone depleting substances.

The Department of Industry has listed 23 types of ozone depleting substances that cannot be produced, especially CFC and halon.

The regulation also mentions that items using CFC or halon must use a logo.

The utilization of ozone depleting substances are prohibited in the production of air conditioners used in vehicles, freezers and fire extinguishers.

In fact, ozone depleting substances are still allowed in foam, air conditioner, and aerosol manufacturing up until June 30, 2008.

In addition, as of July 1, 2008, ozone depleting substances can only be implemented for goods maintenance.

The control process is being carried out under the Department of Industry.

Administrative sanctions such as a revocation of business license and certificate of industry registration will be imposed on any companies violating the regulation.

YULIAWATI

Newmont executive, company found not guilty in pollution trial

AP / The Jakarta Post - 2007-04-24 12:17:02

MANADO, April 24, 1007 (AP) - An Indonesian court found a U.S. executive and his company, Newmont Mining Co., not guilty Tuesday of polluting a bay and sickening villagers, a verdict likely to cheer foreign investors and anger environmentalists.

Richard Ness, 57, faced a maximum 10 years in jail and a US$60,000 (euro44,000) fine.

Presiding judge Ridwan Damanik told the Manado District Court that evidence presented during the 20-month criminal trial proved that waste rock dumped into the water by Newmont's now-defunctmine on Sulawesi island did not exceed government standards.

"There also is not enough evidence that people suffered from health problems," the judge said.

Meanwhile, demonstrators gathered outside the court Tuesday said the government should protect its citizens. Crowds swelled from just 60 in the morning to 1,000 several hours later, some chanting and singing.

"We want Newmont and its director to take responsibility for what they've done," said protest organizer, Didi Koleangan, referring to allegations villagers living near the exploration site have complained of skin disease, lumps, breathing difficulties and dizziness.

Though evidence presented to the Manado District Court was limited to a few villagers complaining of itchiness, some activists say follow-up research should be conducted for up to 30 years to make sure they are not suffering from body arsenicaccumulation.

Newmont began operations in Sulawesi in 1996, but the Denver, Colorado-based company stopped mining in 2004 after extracting all the gold and ore it could.

Last year, Newmont reached a US$30 million out-of-court settlement with the government to defuse a separate civil suit over alleged toxic pollution in the bay, and could be fined another US$100,000 (euro73,500) if the company is judged guilty on criminal charges Tuesday.

Indonesia awaits Newmont pollution case verdict

Wis News 10

By Fitri Wulandari

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian court is due to give a verdict on Tuesday in a pollution trial involving Newmont Mining Corp (NEM.N). that is seen as a test of attitudes toward foreign firms and environmental protection.

The U.S. miner and the chief of its local unit, Richard Ness, are charged with dumping toxic substances into a bay near a now defunct gold mine on Sulawsi island, making villagers sick.

Newmont and Ness deny the charges, pointing to studies that have found no evidence of pollution. If convicted, Ness could be jailed for three years and Newmont heavily fined.

A guilty verdict could deter foreign investors from investing in Indonesia's already struggling mining sector, some analysts say, while environmentalists want the country to send a message showing it is serious about enforcing laws to protect the country's rapidly degrading environment.

A Manado court in North Sulawesi province, where the case against PT Newmont Minahasa Raya has been tried since 2005, is expected to deliver its verdict on Tuesday.

"The case has caused uncertainty among investors, thinking they could be next. If Newmont is found guilty it will cause distrust in the mining sector," said Priyo Pribadi Soemarno, executive director of the Indonesia Mining Association.

STRUGGLING

Indonesia has some of the world's largest deposits of gold, tin, copper and nickel, and some of the world's top mining firms such as Freeport-McMoran Copper&Gold (FCX.N) and PT International Nickel Indonesia (INCO.JK) have operations in the country.

But the sector has been struggling to attract foreign money as legal uncertainty, rampant graft and red-tape have steered foreign investors away from Indonesia.

The mining industry grew by just 2.2 percent in 2006, Indonesian government data shows, much slower than overall economic growth of 5.5 percent due to the absence of major investment in the past years.

Mining firms are also concerned over a draft mining bill which includes plans to replace the use of work contracts with mining licenses, which can be altered at any time and are valid for a shorter time.

Newmont said last month it might reconsider its investments in Indonesia if its executive was found guilty.

Last year, Newmont, which is based in Denver, settled a civil case without admitting wrongdoing and agreed to pay $30 million to an environmental foundation in North Sulawesi.

The company, which has been mining in Indonesia for over a decade, also has plans to spend $400 million to $500 million to expand its operating mine at Batu Hijau in Sumbawa island.

Mining investors are also worried the case will fuel more opposition to mining projects in regions over pollution concerns.

Soemarno of the Indonesian Mining Association cited opposition from North Sulawesi province in January to a gold project operated by PT Meares Soputan Mining, an Indonesia unit of British-based Archipelago Resources Plc (AR.L)., for fear of pollution.

Torry Kuswardono, mining campaign officer at Indonesia Environmental Forum, said mining brought few long-term benefits.

"The government should not rely on mining as we have faced many natural disasters due to environmental damage," he said.

Indonesia minister calls for new-car ban

The Peninsula, Web posted at: 4/20/2007 8:49

Source ::: AFP

JAKARTA • Indonesia's environment minister defended yesterday his proposal to ban sales of new cars in a bid to slash pollution levels, amid concern from local automakers.

Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said the plan could be introduced if new anti-pollution measures did not improve air quality in smog-filled cities.

"The ban is a warning from me as environment minister because the air quality is already at a really bad level in some rapidly growing urban areas," Witoelar said.

"We need to stop the sale of new cars, at least we need to have a pause of new car production, unless they (carmakers) produce friendly new cars that use gas, biofuels or electricity," he said.

The minister said he would seek support from government colleagues for the proposal if the new measures proved unsuccessful.

The moves include publicly grading cities from the dirtiest to the cleanest. Indonesia had already introduced new emission standards based on international guidelines, he added.

The capital Jakarta and some other cities suffer chronic smog levels and traffic congestion is a major problem.

The auto industry warned the move would impact heavily on production and jobs, and said the minister seemed unaware the industry was already complying with international environmental standards.

The Indonesian Vehicle Producers Industry Association, whose members include the nation's biggest car dealer PT Astra International, called on the minister to get serious on pollution and crackdown on other industries and power plants.

"Pollution from vehicles is still nothing compared to other pollution sources," association general secretary Freddy Sutrisno said.

"The government should also come up with policies which help reduce urbanisation, spread out industries to other islands and take decisive action in battling forest fires," he said.

"And most important, they should set down long term policies to enable thorough preparation for their implementation."

Witoelar acknowledged the social impact of the ban would be horrendous for many Indonesians. But he said pollution from vehicles was also damaging, contributing to global warming.

"It's true that the ban would have an impact on Indonesian economic growth but we need to understand the impact of pollution on our planet would be bigger in the future if we don't try to stop from now causes of climate change."

He said he was concerned about rising levels of private car ownership which some data shows increasing at 11 per cent a year.

But association figures say sales of new cars plunged 40 per cent in 2006.

Govt plans air quality ranking system

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has announced a new scheme to rank cities based on air quality, in an effort to push local administrations to cut pollution.

State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said Tuesday the new initiative would at first include only 11 cities and municipalities that already have installed air monitoring devices.

"The rankings will help show whether or not the administrations have developed sustainable transportation systems in order to cut air pollution in urban areas," the ministry's deputy assistant for mobile sources emission pollution control, Ridwan Tamin, told The Jakarta Post.

He said the new program would measure traffic conditions, pollutant levels, including sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, as well as the number of air monitoring stations and the health impact of air pollution.

"We will also examine policies issued relating to air pollution to determine awareness levels of administrations and the total budget allocated to monitor air quality," Ridwan said.

The ministry's team, which will involve transportation experts and non-governmental organizations, is scheduled to inspect targeted areas from May to August.

"We expect to announce the results to the public in September," Ridwan said.

The government has repeatedly pushed local administrations to revitalize transportation systems to cut down vehicle emissions, which are major contributors to air pollution.

It wants administrations to introduce eco-friendly public transportation that can be enjoyed by all levels of society.

The ministry earlier pointed to Jakarta's busway system as an example of a sustainable transportation system, if managed properly.

The busway features a number of buses using eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG), and is part of an envisioned mass rapid transit (MRT) system officials hope will resolve long-standing transportation problems in the capital. The future MRT may also include a subway, monorail and water taxis.

Jakarta is the first city in Indonesia to have a busway system. The capital also issued a bylaw on air pollution control in 2005. The bylaw requires all private cars to obtain emissions tests twice a year, and mandates the use of CNG for public transportation vehicles.

However, there is still not full implementation of the bylaw because of poor law enforcement and a lack of support infrastructure.

The Jakarta administration recorded only 48 good air quality days last year, up from 28 good days in 2005.

Data from the environment ministry shows that in 2005, Surabaya recorded 21 good air quality days, Bandung 40 days, Medan 24 days and Semarang 229 days.

The ministry earlier said the air quality ranking system was part of its plan to include air quality in the annual Adipura environmental awards.

Currently, the awards only recognize the cleanest and greenest cities based on waste management.

Targeted Areas

No. City 1. Central Jakarta 2. South Jakarta 3. East Jakarta 4. West Jakarta 5. North Jakarta 6. Surabaya 7. Medan 8. Semarang 9. Bandung 10. Yogyakarta 11. Makassar

Tax for Industry that Produces Pollution

Friday, 20 April, 2007 | 16:41 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The implementation of sanctions over industry that produce pollution will be more effective than a moratorium of new vehicle manufacturing. Industrial pollution, said former Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli, was one the causes of the green-house effect that affects global warming.

“There must be a financial sanction such as tax so that they reduce pollution gradually,” he said at the break of a discussion, “Settlement and Rehabilitation of Ecological Justice” yesterday (04/19). He responded to the plan of Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar's proposal of moratorium of new vehicle production if air pollution could not be reduced.

So far, developed countries, said Rizal, have always accused Indonesia as the agent of global warming by virtue of deforestation. State and multinational companies that produced pollution and the greenhouse effect should have paid Indonesia for any pollution they created.

However, developed countries such as the US in fact refused to be blamed and to sign the Kyoto Protocol and Carbon Emission Trading (CET). CET is a policy which regulates that industry be given the maximum pollutant rate that is admissible. Should it be abundant, industry should compensate.

NININ DAMAYANTI

Ecotourism to save Ciliwung river

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration has stepped up its efforts to improve the water quality of the Ciliwung River, which passes along the capital, as much-anticipated cooperation with neighboring cities to mend the river has been ineffective.

The administration is currently attempting to develop eco-tourism in the Ciliwung's upstream riverbank areas from Kelapa Dua in East Jakarta to Pejaten in South Jakarta.

"The eco-tourism project is still limited in the capital. We hope our neighboring authorities can follow (the project) so as to upgrade the water quality of the river," said Ridwan Panjaitan, head of the City Environmental Management Body's pollution control unit, on Saturday.

He said the program would empower residents living close to the Ciliwung's riverbanks to clean their portions of land.

"By doing so, there will no longer be people dumping waste into the river," he said.

He said the eco-tourism concept could also be developed in upstream areas because populations there were not as dense as downstream.

The program will be implemented in 13 neighborhoods in Srengseng Sawah and Lenteng Agung, both in South Jakarta, and in Tanjung Barat in East Jakarta. It will push for better sanitation, more efficient spatial planning and reforestation.

Ridwan said the program was developed in partnership with the University of Indonesia and Trisakti University.

"We will also involve figures who have succeeded in promoting clean and green concepts, such as Pak Chaeruddin, who will then turn Pesanggarahan River into a clean eco-tourism area," he said.

A waterway project is also on the way for the Ciliwung's downstream areas from Karet in Central Jakarta to the Manggarai watergate in South Jakarta.

The 4.2-kilometer waterway project aims to resolve long-standing transportation snags in the capital.

The City Transportation Agency earlier said that the pilot waterway project would begin in June. The administration has already setup three small ports along the route.

The Ciliwung river is one of the largest rivers passing through the capital. However, the river's water is now severely polluted.

Many claim the presence of people living illegally along the river's 117-kilometer bank is the main source of pollution for the Ciliwung.

The government has designated four levels of river water quality for the Ciliwung. Level one indicates that the water is potable and good to be used raw.

In Bogor, the river's water quality has been graded as level two, which means it can be used only for recreational activities. After passing the Condet area in East Jakarta, the Ciliwung's water quality falls to level four.

The government said it would need five years to upgrade the water quality by only one level.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to sign the decree on the management of the Ciliwung River by the end of the year.

The Jakarta, Banten and West Java administrations had earlier agreed to jointly rehabilitate the three big rivers that are the provinces' main sources of water -- the Ciliwung, Cisadane and Citarum rivers.

Cilegon residents fight air polluters

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Banten

The Cilegon municipal council has urged the municipality administration to close industrial firms in Ciwandan district, saying the factories are polluting the air.

Councillor Uud Khudlori of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that the dust waste produced by the factories in the Lijajar residential area had become a threat to local residents' health.

"There are only two options: close down the factories or relocate the residents," he said during a meeting with the municipality's health agency and the Environmental Management Agency over the weekend.

The council members also suggested the administration find environmentally-friendly waste processing technology to be used in local factories.

Health agency head Zaenoel Arifin acknowledged that many residents had suffered from respiratory problems.

"The polluted air could cause lung damage, he said.

"We'll ask the relevant officials to overcome this problem soon."

Rasmi Widiyatmi, the head of environmental impact controls at the Environmental Management Agency, said her office lacked the proper equipment to monitor air quality, which should ideally be done every six months.

"We don't have the facilities to monitor the air and we don't have the budget to handle pollution problems," she said.

Water concession no guarantee of equal access to services

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Market prices rise rapidly to reflect increased scarcity.

The limited supply of water and the costs associated with processing and the maintenance of the pipes channeling the water to customers are among the reasons why water operators impose rates.

The question is how much should a tap water customer pay?

It is free if they take it directly from the springs uphill, groundwater reserves or even the polluted rivers.

Water is a basic necessity, thus the people's right to access water should be guaranteed and protected by the government.

To guarantee it, the city-owned water operator has imposed fixed rates for the first 10 cubic meters used and progressive prices for further usage.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) standard is a minimum of 20 liters of water per person for daily use of water, including for cooking, drinking, bathing and washing.

The latest data from the government's Working Group for Drinking Water and Sanitation (Pokja AMPL) says that one person living in the city uses 100-120 liters per day on average with many people use piped water to water the garden, wash their car or open a home laundry business.

Pokja AMPL executive Oswar Muadzin Mungkasa said that the average family of four in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, used 20 cubic meters or more of water each month.

With the current rate of Rp 6,525 per cubic meter, a family with an income of more than Rp 5 million per month could afford to use that much water, despite their complaints of frequent disruption and low water quality.

Customers like these are treasured by water providers, not low-income households that use a maximum of five cubic meters of water per month. The city's two water operator partners are currently focusing on the more prosperous parts of the capital to ensure a swift return on their investment, leaving 88 percent of the urban poor without access to piped water.

The most severe conditions are in coastal areas of North Jakarta. The city's private partners have argued the metal water pipes are corroding due to sea intrusion and are hence impossible to maintain.

Opening new access to densely populated slums is another reason, besides the residents' inability to raise the Rp 1 million connection fee.

In his final year dissertation, presented in August at the University of Indonesia's School of Economics and titled The impact of drinking water investment on economic growth and income distribution in Jakarta, Oswar found that the urban poor in North Jakarta paid almost five times more for clean water compared to people living on the other side of the city.

"Sea intrusion makes it impossible for them to exploit groundwater. Lack of access to piped water leaves them with no other choice but to buy water from vendors," he told The Jakarta Post.

A study on small-scale water providers, funded by the Asian Development Bank, found that the business was dominated by cart vendors in number. The price of 20 liters of water in one jerrican is tagged at between Rp 3,000-5,000 by the vendors. With a total of about Rp 50,000 per cubic meter, to meet their monthly water need of five cubic meters, each household has to spend up to Rp 250,000.

"They spend too much on water. The international standard for water price is only 3 percent of monthly income," Oswar said.

Jakarta's minimum wage hovers at about Rp 1 million.

Alizar Yazid, an expert with the Jakarta Water Regulatory Body, said that a large part of water investment had gone into efforts to minimize leakage and water theft.

"If the problem were solved, we could move on to improving water access for the poor," he told the Post.

Oscar said that, in the meantime, the government was subsidizing the poor through its scheme to offset the fuel price increases, as well as the provision of community wells and public bathrooms.

For "practical reasons", the facilities are situated at the far end of the water connection to ease distribution but far from the targeted slum dwellers. And that is how the money game starts.

Thugs hover around the facilities, imposing fees for those who want to fill their water containers or use the toilets.

Meanwhile, vendors make money delivering water by cart to the slum dwellers.

"As soon as the facilities are built, they are handed over to the locals who operate and maintain them. Imposing fees is understandable, because maintenance requires money. Unfortunately, there is no further monitoring on how it benefits the poor," Oswar said.

Walhi calls for investigation of Kampar river pollution

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) in Riau Province, has asked the provincial police to investigate pollution in Kampar River in Pelalawan District.

The Riau Police must investigate the pollution case, Director of Walhi`s Riau chapter Jhonny S. Mundung said here Tuesday.

The Indonesian environmental NGO has suspected that PT RAPP (Riau Pulp and Paper) company has polluted the river.

Some 18 residents of Sering village, Pelelawan District, were rushed to a police hospital in Pekanbaru on Monday (March 19) for being poisoned due to the river pollution.

The poisoned villagers included children between 21 months and 13 years old and some adults, he said. The villagers suffered from skin and eye irritations, respiratory problems, coughing and stomachache, he added.

Based on Walhi`s finding, Kampar River was polluted by chlorine disposed by the pulp and paper company located in Riau Province, Sumatra Island, according to Mandung.

"If the pollution continues to be ignored, it might claim lives. Therefore, the provincial police must investigate the case," Mundung said.

Walhi was preparing a report to the local police for further investigation on the alleged pollution case, he added.

Monitoring water the best way to avert crisis: Experts

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Once an ubiquitous natural resource, water has now become an overpriced commodity.

Periods of insufficient raw water supply in the city -- blamed on inappropriate development, which has reduced the number of catchment areas and polluted rivers and groundwater -- have brought the capital to the brink of a water crisis.

Some scientists say severe water shortages could occur in a decade, others project three years.

But many experts refuse to see a water crisis as inevitable, insisting precautions can be taken to ensure the city has a sustainable water system.

Alizar Anwar, a consultant to the Jakarta Water Regulatory Body, said the city administration had recently proposed a number of methods for industries and residents to save water, but had missed out the one he considered most effective.

"It is good to have percolation pits to save groundwater, but first things first ... the city administration has to establish a system to monitor both the quantity and quality of water," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

In monitoring water quantity, he said, the administration should first address the problem of leaking pipes. .

He said the piped water production capacity in Jakarta should be 16 cubic meters per second. However, due to leakages -- caused by the poor condition of Dutch-era pipes and a general lack of maintenance -- the capacity had been reduced by half.

"If the leaked water was collected, Jakarta might have another Kalimalang River on its hands," Alizar said, explaining that the mean flow of water in the river, which runs across the eastern part of Greater Jakarta, was only five cubic meters per second.

He said the administration should cooperate with its business partners in piped water distribution and neighboring regions in upstream areas to ensure the good quality of raw water.

"Investment in water treatment has resulted in a higher water tariff ... consumers have been led to use more groundwater, which could cause seawater intrusion, sedimentation and land subsidence. And we don't want that to happen," Alizar argued.

Meanwhile, Sutjipto from the Jakarta-based Water and Sanitation Network (JAS) said it was important to monitor the quantity and quality of water in Jakarta to cut down on guesswork.

"Currently most of us have based our arguments on assumptions about the condition of the water in Jakarta. We could say the condition of the water in the Ciliwung River is poor because we observe riverbank dwellers and industries disposing of wastewater and garbage in the river and using it again for daily activities, even to drink."

This theme of this year's World Water Day, which falls on Thursday, is raw water scarcity in many parts of the world.

Sutjipto said that instead of worrying about the possibility of a water crisis in the near future, people should concern themselves with the quality of the city's water now.

"The water -- both inland and groundwater -- is heavily polluted. The high incidence of waterborne diseases, which kill babies and toddlers, and the fact that almost half of the Indonesian people have had diarrheal diseases should have forced regional administrations, industries and residents to be more concerned about the environment."