Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Flash floods, landslides, poisonous air, polluted water and other catastrophes haunting millions of Indonesians are the logical consequences of the country's ineptitude in preserving its ecological balance, say environmental activists.
"A series of continuous disasters are an ecological disaster, caused by degrading the ecological functioning of nature," Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) executive director Chalid Muhammad told the media at a gathering here Sunday to observe World Environment Day, which falls this year on June 5.
This year is "Deserts and Desertification Year", with the slogan "Don't Desert Drylands" emphasizing the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40 percent of the planet's surface. Since Indonesia does not have any desert, the government adopted the theme "Stop Land Degradation".
The country has almost 60 million hectares of damaged land, the result of illegal logging and forest fires, which push its annual deforestation rate to three million hectares.
Chalid said rapid environmental degradation led to the descending ecological function of nature, meaning Indonesia was continuously prone to disasters. "These disasters are an accumulation of the ecological crisis caused by the country's systematic failure to manage our environment, which threatens to ruin people's lives," he added.
Citing data from the National Coordinating Board for Disaster Management and Refugees, Walhi said from 1998 to 2004, some 1,150 disasters hit various parts of the archipelago, killing about 9,900 people and causing over Rp 5.9 trillion (over US$640 million) in losses. Out of the hundreds of disasters occurring in the period, the two main issues were floods and landslides.
"The number kept increasing in 2005 and over the last few months. The losses remain great," said Chalid.
He said the statistics became worse with the fact that frequent droughts also caused many people to suffer due to water shortages, health problems and damage to livelihoods.
"Disasters will not only affect lives and properties but also crop production, water pollution and can cause people's migration and displacement," he said.
Conservation International Indonesia executive director Jatna Supriatna said it was time government gave incentives to community members, particularly regional administrations, to promote environmental conservation.
"At present, many municipalities have given up their land and forests to reap economic benefits. We should change this perception by formulating alternative incentives for conservation efforts," he said.
The deputy to the State Minister for the Environment, Masnellyarti Hilman, said many mayors and regents had converted their forested areas to increase local revenues, which could be vital instrument for them to maintain popularity and get reelected.
To address the issue, she said her office would apply a "name and shame" mechanism against local administrations in evaluating their efforts to rehabilitate damaged land.
A Rp 112.5 billion (US$11.2 million) Special Allocation Fund for the Environment has been allotted in the 2006 state budget and is ready for disbursement to cities and regencies performing well in managing their natural resources and environment.
"For those who fail, they will face public humiliation because we're going to announce their names through the media," she said.