INDONESIA E-NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2009 HEADLINES o       Environment Bill Passed by Indonesian House of Representatives o       Indonesian Construction Companies Vow to Go Green o       Jakarta Mall Managers Promise to Provide Bicycle Parking o        Jakarta Traffic Costs Public 2.8 Billion per Year, Says Experts o       City Told to Tighten Up Non-Smoking Areas o       Surabaya Administration to Develop Eco-Friendly City Living o       Indonesia's Green Building Council Issues Guidelines   o       Vehicle Emissions Offenders Face 3 Years in Jail o       Health Cost from Jakarta Pollution will Increase to Rp. 4.3 Trillion by 2015 o       New Government Urged to Fix Public Transportation o       Broken Traffic Lights Causes Worsening Traffic Gridlock LOCAL NEWS Environment Bill Passed by Indonesian House of Representatives   By Fidelis E Sastrianti, The Jakarta Globe Ten factions in the House of Representatives united to pass the Environmental Protection and Management Bill on September 8 2009. The new law would give much stronger authority to the State Ministry of Environment and impose stricter sanctions. The bill comprehensively included all aspects needed to protect the environment including a much tighter legal _frame_work, allowing more room for awareness for all decision makers to protect the environment.  Most importantly, it grants authority for national park rangers to arrest environmental violators and pass on investigative reports to prosecutors. The new bill marked a significant change in the government's efforts to protect the environment. However, this will not automatically change everything , Berry Nadian Furqon from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said. The next challenge is to synchronize the new bill with other regulations . Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/environment-bill-passed-by-indonesian-ho use/328686 Indonesian Construction Companies Vow to Go Green By Fidelis E Sastrianti, The Jakarta Globe Twenty-one major construction-related firms declared their commitment to produce environmental-friendly works on Wednesday (September 9 2009), locking arms with a group calling for greener buildings in the country. The companies, including PT Surya Toto Indonesia, PT Phillips Indonesia, PT Holcim and PT Intiland Development, have signed an agreement to serve as corporate founders of the Indonesian Green Building Council. The council was established in 2008 as a nonprofit by 50 architects and interior designers, and was acknowledged by the World Green Building Council this year. Naning Adiwoso, president of the Green Building Council, said it took a lot of effort to coax the companies to join the group, which originally counted individuals as members. We were thinking about how to design to be more friendly for health and environment, meanwhile, the corporations will always be thinking about business, she said. However, we have managed to reach a common vision: we all want to have more sustainable development. Hari Sasongko, head of Jakarta's Building Monitoring and Control Agency, said green building techniques needed to be employed immediately, particularly because many of the city's buildings have ignored concerns about saving water or energy. We have seen how it affected the city with the land subsidence and excessive exploitation of groundwater, he said, adding that the city's governor, Fauzi Bowo, had declared his commitment to upgrade all buildings in the capital to be green by 2010. However, the governor said such changes would have to come gradually. It is going to be enforced, but we hope it will also be a moral obligation for developers, he said. Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesia-construction-companies-vow-to- go-green/329018 Jakarta Mall Managers Promise to Provide Bicycle Parking Kompas Newspaper Managers of shopping malls in Jakarta and surrounding areas promised to provide bicycle parking. I agree with the cyclist's community that the managers of buildings in Jakarta and surrounding areas need to provide bicycle parking. We promise to provide it and it was not difficult, said Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Shopping Center Manager Stephen Ridwan to Kompas. However, Stephen hopes to meet, sit together, and discuss with cyclists in the Greater Jakarta area concerning security. Bicycles do not have a license plate number thereby making it difficult for security personnel to identify bike owners [in the event of a stolen bike].   Governor Fauzi Bowo requests building managers to provide bicycle parking. Fauzi asked the Jakarta parliament to prepare special rules regarding bicycle parking. Jakarta Secretary Muhayat states that the administration is preparing bicycle parking as a feeder to the busway, including placing bicycle parking in Kalideres, IRTI Monument Square, Kampung Rambutan, and Ragunan terminal/bus depot.   Source: http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/_xml_/2009/08/26/07455541/pengelola.mal .janji.sediakan.tempat.parkir.sepeda Jakarta Traffic Costs Public $2.8 Billion per Year, Says Experts By Antara Newspaper Traffic congestion in the capital cost Jakarta residents as much as Rp 28.1 trillion annually, an expert said. Firdaus Ali, an environment expert at the University of Indonesia's School of Technology, said in a discussion that the loss was calculated _base_d on the estimated amount of fuel wasted, lost productive time, losses incurred by public transportation owners and the health costs resulting from congestion. The biggest loss, according to Firdaus, was attributed to fuel inefficiency, the fuel wasted when vehicles were trapped in traffic jams, which costs Rp 10.7 trillion ($10.7 billion) per year. In second place is the loss of productive time, estimated at Rp 9.7 trillion per year, followed by health costs of Rp 5.8 trillion. Public transportation owners suffer a staggering Rp 1.9 trillion loss each year due to lost opportunities as traffic jams drastically limit the movement of public transportation vehicles, Firdaus said. The irony, he said, is that public transportation has become part of the problem, and not the solution to traffic jams in the capital, he continued. Jakarta sees crippling traffic jams almost every day as the number of private cars on the capital's streets continues to rise, with the city seemingly running out of options to deal with the problem. Meanwhile, Umar Fahmi Achmadi, a professor of University of Indonesia's School of Public Health, said that transportation caused up to 80 percent of all air pollution in the capital and could lead to asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia as well as cardiovascular, nervous system, liver and kidney problems. Source: http://www.antaranews.com/berita/1252569398/kemacetan-jakarta-timbulkan- kerugian-rp28-triliun (In English: http://thejakartaglobe.com/city/jakarta-traffic-costs-public-28b-per-yea r-says-expert/329256) City Told to Tighten Up Non-Smoking Areas By The Jakarta Post To reinforce the Jakarta smoking ban, NGOs urge the city to declare absolute smoke free zones. Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) said recently that the smoking ban bylaw was still only partially implemented because people could still smoke in some parts of prohibited zones. The bylaw designates seven types of prohibited zone including public transportation, health-care buildings, schools, children's areas, places of worship, offices and public spaces (including malls, restaurants, terminals and stations). Out of the seven zones, only the first five are declared as absolute smoke-free zones, while offices and public spaces are considered as partially smoke-free because people are still allowed to smoke, but only in designated smoking rooms . Azas Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) shared similar comments with YLKI, saying the administration should enforce the smoking ban completely by dispensing with the requirements to provide designated smoking areas. The implementation of the current bylaw is too lenient. There should not be any space for smokers and cigarette ads, in order to free Jakarta from cigarette smoke, he said. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/15/city-told-tighten-nonsmoki ng-areas.html Surabaya Administration to Develop Eco-Friendly City Living By Agnes S. Jayakarna, The Jakarta Post To create a better environment and meet green space requirements, the Surabaya city administration has been encouraging property developers in the region to designate at least 20 percent of their development areas as green spaces, an official says. Head of the city administration's development planning board Tri Rismaharini claimed Surabaya had succeeded in making more than 20 percent out of its total areas of 326 square kilometers as green spaces. She added that her office would continue encouraging people to allocate small parts of their area as green sites in an effort to encourage eco-friendly living in the city, thus fulfilling the requirement as stipulated in Law No. 26/2007 on spatial management. The law requires all the regional administrations across the country to allocate at least 20 percent of their respective regions as green sites. More than 5,000 square meters of space have been developed into green sites at a number of residential compounds in the city. Some 135,000 square meters of other areas have been developed into public facilities. Separately, environmental observer Suparto Wijoyo of the Surabaya-_base_d Airlangga University highlighted the urgency for all the administrative regions in the country to improve their eco-friendly development. Wijoyo, who was also a member of the Environmental Affairs Ministry's working team for the drafting of the bill of the law on environment management and protection that has been made effective since Wednesday (September 9 2009), said that the law gave a new hope for people to have a better living. The law required the government to take into account the environmental considerations in any of its decisions. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/14/surabaya-administration-de velop-ecofriendly-city-living.html Indonesia's Green Building Council Issues Guidelines The Jakarta Post The Green Building Council of Indonesia (GBCI) launched on Wednesday guidelines for environmentally friendly buildings to increase the public's and business community's awareness of sustainability issues. Dubbed the Greenship, the guidelines list a number of aspects to take into consideration when constructing a building, which affect the environment and the building's users. The checklist includes energy-saving mechanisms and indoor air quality. The GBCI, which was established in February 2009, also endorsed - at the same event - 21 companies as the council's corporate founders . The companies, which include state-owned energy company PT Pertamina, property giant PT Summarecon Agung and PT Ciputra Development, will strengthen the council's case for joining the World Green Building Council. The main Greenship guidelines are: the availability of access to public transport ,the availability of parking spaces for bicycles and changing rooms,  the management of rainwater, the protection or restoration of open spaces,  the constructing of absorption wells, the usage of water-efficient plumbing, Water quality and usage monitoring, the recycling of wudhu (Islamic method of washing oneself before praying) water , the usage of grey water and black water recycling systems , the monitoring of a building's energy usage, reporting on emission reduction, optimizing the usage of environmentally friendly cleaning products, using recycled materials, smoke-free building, natural lighting , surveying the building users' comfort , proper ventilation Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/12/council-issues-green039-bu ilding-guidelines.html Vehicle Emissions Offenders Face 3 Years in Jail By Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post Millions of motorists may face up to three years in jail or fines of Rp 3 billion (US$298,200) unless they bring their vehicle emissions in line with government's standards. The jail terms and fines are included in the law on environmental management and protection that was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday (September 8 2009). The yearly report on emissions tests by the government shows that half of vehicles tested failed to meet emissions standards. The law could be used to punish polluters including owners of cars that fail to meet emissions standards, deputy assistant for emissions pollution control at the Office of the State Minister for the Environment, Ade Palguna. Article 98 of the law stipulates that anyone who intentionally conducts activities that cause water and air pollution exceeding tolerable levels faces a minimum of three years in jail and/or fines of between Rp 3 billion and Rp 10 billion. Article 100 stipulates that anyone violating emissions level will face a maximum three years' imprisonment and/or Rp 3 billion in fines. The 2009 Traffic Law, endorsed in May, also obliges all vehicles operating in Indonesia to meet the government emissions standards. Motor vehicles are a major source of air pollutants in Indonesia's big cities including Jakarta. A study by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) says regular checks of car engines could reduce energy consumption by between 3 and 10 percent; cut carbon monoxide emissions by half; hydrocarbons by 35 percent and particulate matter by 45 percent. Jakarta is the first province to issue a bylaw on air pollution, which requires all private vehicles to conduct emission tests twice a year to meet emissions standards. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/11/vehicle-emissions-offender s-face-3-years-jail.html Health Cost from Jakarta Pollution will Increase to Rp. 4.3 Trillion by 2015 By Nurfika Osman, The Jakarta Globe Experts have some ill tidings in regards to Jakarta's urban environment. This conclusion was reached during a discussion _title_d The Concrete Jungle and Pollution in Jakarta, which warned that the increasing number of vehicles and shopping centers would continue to threaten the capital's inhabitants. Ubaidillah, executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Jakarta, said transportation caused 70 percent of the pollution in the city. Metro Police data show that as of June the number of vehicles in Jakarta had risen to 9.9 million, including 133,000 public transportation vehicles, while the number of residents, _base_d on data from Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency, was at 8.5 million as of March. Ubaidillah said this meant the city was producing 13,000 tons of carbon-dioxide daily and that 20 percent of the city should be open green space to offset emissions. Ubaidillah added that if the government failed to create a better public transportation system, the city would be producing 38,322 tons of carbon-dioxide daily by 2015, which would require 32 percent of open green space. He said _base_d on World Bank research, Jakarta's citizens paid Rp 1.8 trillion ($181.8 million) in 1998 for pollution-related diseases, a figure estimated to increase to Rp 4.3 trillion by 2015 if the situation did not change. Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com/city/health-costs-of-jakarta-pollution-to-rp- 43-trillion-in-2015/329055 New Government Urged to Fix Public Transportation By Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post Indonesia's public transportation systems need urgent reforms, an issue that should be on the immediate agenda of the new central government, experts say. Transportation revitalization should include reforms to public transport financial management, Harya Setyaka S. Dillon said at a journalist workshop organized by the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI). The current system, by which drivers pay rental fees to public vehicle owners, should be changed to a per-kilometer rate controlled by the administration. Per-kilometer rate would guarantee drivers' and transportation operators' incomes, thus improving services, which in turn would maintain loyal users and attract private vehicle owners to switch to public transportation. Conflicts between the administration and transportation businesses may arise, but the government needs to be firm in its resolve to bring benefits to the public. The new government, which takes up office as of Oct. 20, should initiate public transportation reforms in its first 100 days in office, said MTI's Bambang Susantono. The recommendations include the finalization of government regulations and ministerial decrees following the passing of a new law on the transportation system. Another recommendation is a blueprint for urban transportation networks in five major cities, including the use of environmentally friendly public vehicles. The last recommendation MTI plans to propose is a railway revitalization program for commuter and inner-city trains in cities which have railway system like Jakarta. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/07/new-govt-urged-fix-public- transportation-services.html Broken Traffic Lights Causes Worsening Traffic Gridlock Emilius Ceasar Alexey, Kompas Newspaper and Lenny, Beritajakarta.com Uncoordinated and broken traffic lights are one of the reasons for the capital's traffic problems and causes massive traffic jams at several main intersections in the city. Jakarta Provincial Government has allocated Rp. 20 million to repair all traffic lights in Jakarta. The Transportation Agency will fix faulty underground cable networks, replacing broken light bulbs, and repairing damage poles. Light bulbs will be replaced with light emitting diodes (LED) which is energy efficient and brighter. Repair work will begin in early December and expected to complete by the end of this year. By 2010, all traffic lights are expected to function properly. In addition to traffic light repair, Transportation Agency will also repair road separators, street signs, busway lanes and cracking down reckless driver who put other road users in harm's way. Source: http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/_xml_/2009/09/15/18333123/perbaikan.lam pu.lalu.lintas.di.jakarta.butuh.rp.20.miliar and http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/id/berita_detail.asp?idwil=0&nNewsId=3 5244