Southeast Asia: Environmental Problems

1. Southeast Asia: Environmental Problems Dr. Timo Vuorisalo University of Turku AsiaNet 2005

2. Total land area • More than 435 million hectares • About 3 % of the earth’s land surface • Population • 563 million (2004) • 8.8 % of the world population • Average population growth • 1.5 % per year • World average 1.3 % • Urban population • 39 % • Urbanization grows at 3.5 % per year • Biodiversity • About ½ of the world’s terrestrial and marine biodiversity

3. Southeast Asia: Shared environmental problems (UN, 2000) • Deficient urban infrastructure • water supply and sanitation, waste management • Deforestation and biodiversity loss • average deforestation rate 1.8 per cent • Degradation of the marine environment • rapid coastal population growth (103 % increase 1980-2000) • overfishing, water pollution, aquaculture

4. Southeast Asia: Shared environmental problems • Forest fires • clearing land by fire • significant transboundary air pollution problems • Atmospheric pollution • urban air pollution • Land degradation • soil erosion (water erosion) and contamination

5. Urban environment Cities with more than 3 million residents include: • Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Bogor,Malang • Thailand: Bangkok • Philippines: Manila • Singapore: Singapore • Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City

6. Indonesia • Urban growth has been rapid: • Urban population • 1930 7.5 % • 1961 15 % • 1971 17 % • 1990 31 % • 1999 39 % • “Rural push” – “Urban pull”

7. Urbanization and environment in Jakarta, Indonesia • Coastal city, average height 7 meters a.s.l. • Population of Jakarta: 9.4 million (2000) • the largest city in Southeast Asia • urban agglomeration of Jakarta up to 18 million residents (2004 est.) (includes the central city and bordering urban areas) • Very rapid urbanization: • 3.6 % annually (1995-2005) • First environmental overview by UNEP (1983)

8. Urbanization and environment in Jakarta, Indonesia Key environmental problems: • Poor waste management • poor solid waste collection • 37 % of homes with no garbage collection (Habitat Report 2001) • wastes often end up in canals and rivers and along roadsides

9. Urbanization and environment in Jakarta, Indonesia 2) Water supply and sanitation problems a) water supply: • 1/3 water vendors • 1/3 wells, river water • 1/3 piped water • energy cost of boiling of drinking water USD 50million per year • nearly 2/3 of population rely on groundwater => overpumping * water table has fallen * seawater intrusion widespread * land subsidence

10. Urbanization and environment in Jakarta, Indonesia b) Sanitation problems • no central waterborne sewage system, over ½ all dwellings have no indoor plumbing • 68 % septic tanks • 17 % pit latrines & toilets • 6 % public toilets • 9 % no formal toilet facilities • all rivers crossing Jakarta heavily polluted, as well as the seawater and sediment in Jakarta Bay (also Pb, Hg, Cd)

11. Urbanization and environment in Jakarta, Indonesia 3) Loss and degradation of agricultural land due to urban expansion 4) Severe air pollution problems - emission of pollutants (1999): • SO2 516,483.11 tons • NO2 92,801.89 “ • HC 37,844.26 “ • CO 686,864.46 “ • Particulate 80,510.03 “ Source:http://www.cse.polyu.edu.hk/~activi/BAQ2002/BAQ2002_files/Proceedings/Subworkshop1/sw1a-6Wirahadikusumah_paper.pdf

12. Urbanization and environment in Jakarta, Indonesia • pollution sources: • motor vehicles (2001) 3 544 723 • motor cycles 1 813 136 • passenger cars 1 130 496 • motorcycles are the biggest source of particulates and hydrocarbons • factories (2000: 2 143) • mainly textiles/clothing/leather, plastic product and machinery/equipment industries • households (Wirahadikusumah 2002)

13. Policy responses to environmental problems of Jakarta • National Urban Development Strategy (NUDS, NUDS 2) • improvement of urban services (e.g. sanitation, solid waste disposal) in Indonesian cities • Case: Air quality management in Jakarta • monitoring of air quality since 1985 by the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) • SO2, NOx, TSP • periodical vs. continuous monitoring stations

14. Clean Air Program in The Five Year Regional Development Plan • The Blue Sky Program of the Ministry of Environment (20 factories or power plants in Jakarta have signed an agreement with the Government of Jakarta that they will fulfil emission standards by the end of 2004) • Air quality management is a new priority of the Jakarta Strategic Plan • Specific programmes: • phase-out of leaded gasoline • since July 1st 2001, the National Oil Enterprisehas supplied unleaded gasoline in Jakarta and itssuburbs, without increasing fuel price • catalytic converters in buses, taxis and official cars of the local government • Inspection and Maintenance Program (I&M) 1997- emission tests; private sector strongly involved

15. Regional cooperation on environmental issues: the case of forest fires • Regional cooperation of Southeast Asian countries dates back to the first subregional environmental programme in 1977 => ASEP I • The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) • founded in 1967 to promote stability in the area • environmental management was included in consultations following the Stockholm Conferenceon the Human Environment in 1972

16. Forest fires: • air pollution from burning biomass in SoutheastAsia has become a considerable challenge thatcauses serious adverse economic and health impacts • problem is greatest in Indonesia • in 1997, smog caused by forest fires in Kalimantanspread through Southeast Asia => estimated damage USD 4.4 billion • health impacts • loss of forest and agricultural land • decrease in tourism • Widespread smog or “haze” problem has gained worldwide publicity: http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9802/25/indonesia.fires/ • “From July through November last year, much of Southeast Asia was smothered by thick smoke from deliberately set forest fires in Indonesia.”CNN/Earth Story Page, Feb 25, 1998

17. ASEAN combat against forest fires • 1995 Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Pollution • included air pollutants, ship-borne pollution and transboundary movements of hazardous wastes • 1998 Meeting of subregional Ministers • Indonesia proposed an aerial surveillance plan • 1999 Meeting of Environment Ministers • comprehensive plan to stop forest fires through a coordinated fire-prevention campaign

18. 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary HazePollution • signed on 10 June 2002 in Kuala Lumpur • objectives: • prevent land and forest fires through bettermanagement policies • establish operational mechanisms tomonitor land and forest fires • strengthen regional land and forestfire-fighting capability and other mitigating measures • ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution was also established

19. Conclusions • Prospects for good environmental governance: • environmental legislation is usually sufficient to protect the environment, but enforcement hasbeen weak or even non-existent • environmental policy initiatives are moderately advanced, and institutions and mechanisms oftenexist for their implementation • the concept of public consultation in decision-making is at an early stage of development, and the importance of NGOs is usually marginal • Southeast Asian countries have a strong history of environmental cooperation • the greatest future challenge is to balance economic development with long-term environmental goals and responsibilities (State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific 2000)