My Publications

Sustainable City Management in Indonesia (2003)

SUSTAINABLE CITY MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIA: INDICATORS FOR DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE CITY POLICIES BY MUNICIPALITY GOVERNMENTS IN INDONESIA
(a Case Study from Municipalities of Depok, Bogor, and Bandung)*

by Teguh Kurniawan


Abstract
The achievement of sustainable city conditions will require the roles of city’s government in developing and implementing proper and appropriate policies needed. In order to attain those policies, the city’s government should possess guidance within the frame of their internal management. This research tried to know the possibilities of the municipalities’ government in Indonesia in doing sustainable development in the future and proposed several indicators for the internal management of the municipalities if they want to develop and implement their policies in a more sustainable way, specifically in handling and managing solid and hazardous waste, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal problems


INTRODUCTION

The idea for sustainable city has emerge as a response to the urbanization process that happen in the world. We are witnessing a ubiquitous scenario where more people live in and around cities than in rural areas. In 1800, only 50 million people lived in towns and cities worldwide. During 1975, there were 1.5 billion, and by the year 2000, there were three billion - more than the entire population of the world in 1960 (UNEP, 2002).

The sustainable city according to Urban 21 (2000) is how to improve the quality of life in a city, including ecological, cultural, political, institutional, social and economic components without leaving a burden on the future generations. A burden which is the result of a reduced natural capital and an excessive local debt.

In developing and implementing sustainable city, the role of city’s government is very fundamental. As a self-regulating system, a "city" consists of a control system (city governance) and a homeostatic object (community of citizens). The city’s government will portray as a legitimate institution that responsible in developing and implementing sustainable city through the policy making process.

In order to be able to engross city’s policies that have orientation to achieve sustainable conditions, the city’s government will require some indicator that would give them guidance and direction whether their policies have been in the right track or not. The indicators will tell the city’s government in what manner they should act according to the problem facing by the city. The indicators should be within the frame of internal management of the city’s government.

The emergence for specific indicators for the internal management of city’s government arise because the important role of city’s government in determining whether the city has already applied their policies in a sustainable way.

Based on above arguments, it is interesting to know the possibility for municipalities (cities) government in Indonesia in developing sustainable development and to find out the current conditions of their internal management as prerequisite to do so. By knowing those conditions will help the municipalities in doing sustainable development in an appropriate way. In order to obtain description of the current condition in internal management of municipalities’ government in Indonesia, several indicators will be developed. These indicators should be conforming to the degree of problems facing by the municipalities and their local conditions. The indicators should also be in accordance with international requirements for sustainable city development.

This research tried to propose some indicators related to internal management of the municipalities’ government in Indonesia that could be used to verse their internal management’s conditions. Knowing these conditions would be very useful for the municipalities’ government if they want to pursue development in a sustainable way in the future, especially in handling and managing urban environmental problems. Because of the far ranging character of the urban environmental problems facing every municipality, this research focused only on three areas of problems which could be considered as important problems for a city: solid and hazardous waste, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal. Three municipalities, which are Depok, Bogor, and Bandung has been selected as a case study in this research.

There were three research questions that need to be answered in this research. First question is related to current condition of the selected municipalities’ governments (Depok, Bogor, and Bandung) in handling and managing solid and hazardous waste, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal problems. Second question is to find out to what extent have the selected municipalities’ governments (Depok, Bogor, and Bandung) done their plans in order to handle and manage solid and hazardous waste, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal problems? Are those problems taken into consideration in their “Five Years Local Development Program” (PROPEDA), their “Local Strategic Planning” (RENSTRADA) or other policy tools. Third question is related to actions that could be propose to the selected municipalities’ if they want to improve their urban environmental management to become more sustainable and kinds of indicators in term of their internal management that could be proposed in order to ensure that they are handling urban environmental problems in a more sustainable way in the future.



THEORETHICAL FRAMEWORK

The analytical framework proposed here is based on an understanding that sustainable urban development was an essentially basic goal of urban environmental management which is consist of three elements: urban, environment, and management (Brilhante, 2001).

First element is urban refer to cities or municipalities (Kota) in Indonesian administration system context. Second element is environment that defined as the physical—biotic and a biotic—surrounding of the society, which has a reciprocal relationship with this society. The term environment in this research also consider the economic environment and social environment. The third element is management that in this context means the development of policies and the action based on them. A basic goal of urban environmental management is the creation of a quality of living conditions that is conducive for human health, livelihood, well-being, and prosperity. Specific policies and actions to achieve this goal will depend very much on every specific local situation and decisions have to be taken basically by the local actors.

There were at least two conceptual frameworks that are used in this research: one relating to urban environmental problems, and another one referring to good urban governance. In general, urban environmental problems are related to specific problems facing urban areas. This research focused on solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal problems. Concepts of good urban governance are related to the ways in which municipalities’ government develop policies to overcome environmental problems within their boundaries.

Urban Environmental Problems

Solid and Hazardous Wastes
Solid wastes are defined as the organic and inorganic waste materials, produced by household, commercial, institutional and industrial activities, that have lost their value in the eyes of the first owner (Cointreau in Huysman and Baud, 1994).

Another definition was defined by Kiely (1997) as waste from human and animal activities. In the domestic environment the solid wastes include paper, plastics, food wastes, ash, etc and also ‘liquid wastes’ including paints, old medicines, spent oils, etc. Commercially, paper packagings, timber and plastic containers make up the bulk. Liquid-solid sludges from industry and water/wastewater plants are within this definitions. Wastes were accepted by public authorities for ultimate disposal, including hazardous waste, are within this definition.

Without proper management, municipal solid wastes will remain a problem for cities because of its direct adverse effects on public health, the environment and natural resources. Therefore, the municipalities’ government need to develop proper wastes management policy to cope with these problems.

Urban Air Pollution
Air is very important for human being. It supplies oxygen, which is essential for human bodies to live. However, human daily activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

There are several main types of pollution and well-known effects of pollution, which are commonly discussed. These include smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and "holes" in the ozone layer. Each problem has serious implications for our health and well being as well as for the whole environment.

One type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from burning fuel for energy. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Another type of pollution is the release of noxious gases, such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and chemical vapours. These can take part in further chemical reactions once they are in the atmosphere, forming smog and acid rain.

In the urban areas, with rapid urban growth air quality seems likely to worsen unless rigorous pollution control measures by municipalities’ government are put into effect. These measures can be achieved by implementing policy that has orientation to reduce negative impact of the air pollution. One fine example is through urban transportation policy. This policy is supported by Kojima and Lovei (2001) that stated traffic is a large contributor to fine particulate emissions and often gives rise to as much as 80-90 percent of atmospheric lead in cities where leaded gasoline is still used.

Wastewater Disposal
Wastewater defined as “used” water. It means any water from water-used activities that goes down the drains in drainpipe. Wastewater carries high levels of nutrients, bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants. Untreated wastewater disposed of inappropriately, including reuse, could threaten water quality in groundwater aquifers, wetlands, estuaries, watercourses and marine environments (Middle, 1995).

In the developing world, it is estimated that more than 90 percent of sewage is discharged directly into rivers, lakes, and coastal waters without treatment of any kind (World Resources Institute, 1996). Disposal of domestic wastewater remains a problem, although by no means as severe, in wealthier regions as well. To reduce the negative impact of wastewater disposal, the municipalities’ government need to develop an appropriate wastewater disposal system that include wastewater treatment plant in the system.

Good Urban Governance

According to Paproski as cited by Harpham and Boateng (1997), governance defined as:

“a system of socio-cultural, political and economic interaction among the various actors of the public and private institutions of civil society. The character of the system varies and changes through processes involving the exercise of power and authority with the inherent aim of enforcing the legitimacy of the existing power and authority structures, particularly through selective delivery and distribution of goods and services to the individual and collective groups in civil society.”

Governance is about how decisions are made, who is involved in making them, and the framework for decision making. Good governance according to UNDP (1997) is addresses the allocation and management of resources to respond to collective problems, it is characterised by participation, transperancy, accountability, rule of law, effectiveness and equity.

There are three main groups involve in urban governance, namely (EU, 1999):

- the state or public sector
- civil society; and
- the private sector

Governance is not about government alone. Many institutions and individuals within the three areas mentioned above are involved.

Promoting good governance in urban areas requires support and activities to (EU, 1999):

- Create and develop capacities in the state, civil society and the private sector at the local level; and
- Facilitate interaction and cooperation between institutions of the state, civil society and private sector at the local level, and also between central and local levels

To support and develop urban governance, there are at least three levels at which intervention can be made (EU, 1999), namely:

- Institutional level, by working to improve the governance of the cities
- Organisational, by the modernisation and strengthening of governmental agencies and structures. Support is often needed to build a sound policy, planning and regulatory capability. Key areas for intervention are financial management, human resources management, communication, and information technology
- Human resources, by enhance skill by the training and education of key actors in the process of urban governance

RESULTS DISCUSSION

The finding of the results has shown that the current condition of the selected municipalities (Depok, Bogor, and Bandung) in handling solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal problems are still done unproperly. The selected municipalities has lacks of appropriate and proper methods of management (a); financial resources (b); human resources (c); infrastructures and equipments (d); appropriate policies or programs (e); and participation from the communities in handling and managing those problems (f). Solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal problems are also not been prioritized in planning documents of the municipalities as well as in the Local Environmental Quality Accounting or NKLD (Neraca Kualitas Lingkungan Hidup Daerah) documents.

Inorder to attain sustainable city management by the municipalities in Indonesia in managing solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal; the municipalities should have policies and programs that refer to the appropriate methods of management of those problems.

In managing solid and hazardous wastes, the municipalities are suppose to have policies or programs according to hierarchy of wastes management, which are to prevent and minimize the amount of wastes; to encourage re use and recycling of wastes; to transform wastes through biological and thermal treatment; and landfill with sanitary landfill methods annd not just open dumping or control landfill.

In managing urban air pollution, the municipalities should have policies or programs related to emissions standards; emissions measures; the use of cleaner energy; the use of best available technology; comprehensive local traffic management; and local air quality management that integrated with a wider strategy and action for sustainable development (transportation, land use, planning, and economic regeneration).

In managing wastewater disposal, the municipalities should have policies or programs to control and prevent of water pollution from industrial facilities; to treat wastewater in wastewater treatment plant; to treat sewage in sewage treatment plant by using bio solids recycling and other methods for better environment; and to raise awareness of the communities in conserving water resources.

By referring to the above finding, this research has proposing some indicators for internal management of the municipalities in Indonesia that could be used by them if they want to attain sustainable city management in managing solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal in the future times.

Because of the different situation that exists and happened in every municipality, there are possibilities for different implementation and share of roles between others level of government and private sector in the implementation of above indicators in the field.

The national government could have roles in the management of solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal in regard to policies or programs that would needs the involvements of the national government. For example, in managing solid and hazardous wastes, the national government could participate in making policies or programs to encourage re use of wastes. The involvement of government needed because of the importance of those programs to become national programs. The re use program will involve many stakeholders that reside not only in one region but also in many regions, therefore the involvements of the national government are needed.

The regional government (provincial government) could also have roles in the management of solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal in regard to policies or programs that would needs the involvements of the regional government. For example, in managing solid and hazardous wastes, the involvement of regional government will be needed in facilitating the cooperation between municipalities in using disposal site facilities. From the study case, we could see that the Municipality of Bogor has problems in providing areas for disposal site and need to cooperate with Regency of Bogor. Therefore, the roles of provincial government that in this regard is Province of West Java will be needed.

The private sectors could also have roles in the management of solid and hazardous wastes, urban air pollution, and wastewater disposal in regard to the investment in some facilities and complying with the requirements of government. For example, in managing solid and hazardous wastes, the involvement of private sector will be needed in composting the wastes or even in managing disposal site.

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Indicators for Internal Management of the Municipalities in Indonesia in Managing Urban Environmental Problems



Source: Writer (results of the research findings)


* This article was summary of the thesis report for completing MSc in Urban Environmental Management at Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) and Wageningen University (WUR), January 2003, the Netherlands.

Indonesian version of this article was published in Bisnis & Birokrasi (Journal Business & Bureaucracy), Vol. XI, No. 1 January 2003, pp 28-36

posted by Teguh Kurniawan @ 7:56 PM