SURABAYA RIVER POLLUTION LEADS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000027 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EAID ECON PGOV ID SUBJECT: SURABAYA RIVER POLLUTION LEADS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS SURABAYA 00000027 001.2 OF 002 This Message is Sensitive but Unclassified. Please Protect Accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Surabaya City faces immense challenges to its water supply: pollution, seawater intrusion, and dwindling ground water. The Surabaya River, which provides 90% of the city's tap water, is being overwhelmed with industrial waste. Enforcement of environmental regulations has been ineffective and companies prefer to pay minimal fines rather than invest in costly treatment facilities. Meanwhile, industrial demand has lowered ground water levels and the destruction of protective mangrove trees along the coast has increased seawater intrusion. Surabaya's Planning and Development Board and local NGOs are looking for opportunities to increase environmental awareness, mitigate environmental damage, and protect Surabaya's vital water resources. Ironically, although the city and the region's largest media conglomerate Jawa Pos are the loudest voices advocating environmental awareness, companies owned by both are some of the largest contributors to river pollution. USAID's Environmental Services Program (ESP) is focused on improving water quality. End Summary. Green and Clean, Except for the Water ¶2. (SBU) Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, is proud of its "green and clean" initiative, which transformed the city's disused parks and urban areas into inviting public spaces and won kudos from the media and environmental organizations. In contrast, unchecked river pollution, seawater intrusion, and dwindling ground water threaten to create a water crisis. According to Tri Rismaharini, Head of Surabaya's Planning and Development Board and the architect of the city's green urban renewal, Surabaya's water supply situation will become critical over the next five years. She added that Surabaya cannot depend on the provincial government to resolve the situation. The city has already built several small dams in western Surabaya to retain rain water for use during the dry season. ¶3. (SBU) NGO representatives and Tri Rismaharini agree that Surabaya's most daunting environmental problem is pollution in the Surabaya River. The Surabaya River provides 90% of the tap water for 3 million residents, yet the river is being overwhelmed with industrial waste. More than 75 tons of waste is dumped into the river every day, although experts suggest the river can absorb no more than 35 tons of waste per day. Approximately 85% of the waste comes from industries located near the river; 90% of this waste comes from the local paper industry. ¶4. (SBU) Four paper companies located in Surabaya and nearby Gresik -- PT Mekabox, PT Suprama, PT Surabaya Agung Kertas, and PT Adiprima Sura Printa -- have received low rankings from the Department of the Environment and are considered the primary contributors of river pollution. Dahlan Iskan, the CEO of media giant Jawa Pos Group and owner of PT Adiprima Sura Printa, has pledged Rp 2 billion (USD 166 thousand) to build a waste treatment facility for his factory. Unfortunately, that sum won't cover the costs. Tri Rismaharini has proposed the city build a joint waste pipeline/treatment facility that would allow multiple factories to share the cost of waste treatment and reduce river pollutants. Few Penalties for Polluting ¶5. (SBU) In general, local industries are unwilling to invest in costly waste treatment facilities or to maintain existing facilities as the fines for violating environmental regulations are minimal. The highest penalty imposed to date for water pollution in Surabaya is Rp 5 million (USD 415). In late January 2009, joint water patrols between the Surabaya police, East Java Trade Department, the water company, and local NGOs discovered that the Surabaya Slaughter House (owned by the city of Surabaya) was dumping raw waste into the river after its waste treatment facility broke down. No charges have yet been filed. Reporting environmental crime doesn't pay. In nearby Mojokerto regency, the man who accused a local company of polluting the river was convicted of ruining the company's "good name" and sentenced to six months in jail. In other cases, NGOs complain that many cases of environmental crimes are closed after the company pays a "fine" to the police. ¶6. (SBU) The former Governor of East Java ordered a number of companies to stop releasing waste into the river after receiving reports of untreated waste being dumped. Under provincial regulation #2/2008, the environmental protection agency at the regency/city level, rather than the provincial level, has the SURABAYA 00000027 002.2 OF 002 authority to issue liquid waste disposal permits and the authority to close a factory's outlet to the river if it is found to be polluting the river. Unfortunately, local governments do not have the infrastructure or personnel to monitor or evaluate compliance. National Strategic River ¶7. (SBU) The Indonesian government recently declared the Surabaya River a "National Strategic River," meaning that the Ministry of Public Work has the sole authority to utilize, maintain, and manage the river. As a result, only the Minister of Public Work, not local or provincial officials, has the authority to regulate building along the river or approve development plans involving the river. The city blames uncoordinated industrial development in nearby Sidoarjo and Gresik for many of Surabaya's water problems. City officials and NGOs fear that the Ministry's involvement will complicate efforts to reduce pollution and increase water supplies. Mangroves, Education, and Environmental Awareness ¶8. (SBU) Low-lying Surabaya is threatened by rising sea levels, a situation exacerbated by the destruction of protective mangroves along the coast line. Local residents cut down the mangroves to make room for fish ponds and other aquaculture. The Surabaya city government is planning to develop a 1,600 hectare mangrove forest tourism area in eastern Surabaya as part of a wide-ranging effort to strengthen Surabaya's natural defenses. This particular area is reportedly home to a wide variety of mangrove and bird species whose habitat is threatened. ¶9. (SBU) In Surabaya, USAID's ESP works on increasing access to clean water for low income families, improving the energy efficiency of the water utilities, as well as community-based solid waste management, city sanitation action planning to generate wastewater solutions, and changes in health and hygiene behavior. City officials and NGO reps are working on plans to increase environmental awareness in schools and communities. The Surabaya PKK, a community women's organization, has more than 30,000 environmental cadres working on environmental and health issues. One of PKK's programs is to encourage urban farming and composting. With the support of PKK, the city reduced the volume of garbage by 10% each year. ¶10. (SBU) Tunas Hijau, a local environmental NGO, is working with schools in Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Gresik and Malang to promote environmental awareness among children. The Regent of Gresik issued a decree requiring schools to include environmental awareness as part of the school's curriculum. Tunas Hijau is planning to host a "Surabaya Climate Challenge" for junior and senior high school students focused on garbage management, tree planting, energy saving, and environmentally friendly transportation. MCCLELLAND