I am an American that moved to Indonesia in 2017. I live with my wife and daughter in Jakarta. One of the first things I noticed there was a lot of trash on the streets and in the waterways throughout Jakarta. One day while out with my family I witnessed people just throwing trash on the ground. I asked about people doing that and was told that is the way they grew up and it was common for people to just throw their trash on the ground.
It saddens me that people throw their trash without any thought of what it will do to the environment. I am not an environmentalist. However, I do not understand how Indonesian people cannot be concerned about their environment. Especially since Indonesia is a country of islands with limited resources.
Indonesia has a problem with the drinking water, trash and air pollution. I think each problem can be solved but it all starts with the Indonesian people starting to care. I know there are Indonesian people out there that care. If those that care can get the government, schools and parents to teach the next generation that throwing trash on the street is not the right thing to do, then there is hope for our environment.
I have read several articles about pollution in Indonesia. It seems like the writers only want to talk about air pollution. Unfortunately, the only way to stop air pollution is to address the pollutants from automobiles and motor bikes. Which will be an additional expense on the Indonesian people
There are several things that can be done to help save our environment.
- The Government can place trash cans throughout the cities for the Indonesian people to discard their trash. This can also help with employment because there will need to be people to pick up that trash daily.
- Address the pollutants that are drained into the canals. They get into the water table and contaminates the drinking water
- To work on air pollution the government will have to regulate admission controls on motor vehicles like they do in other countries
This will only work if the Indonesian people start to think of the future generations. It is a tough road to take because people will have to change the way they live and think, and it can be costly. We must start somewhere. Only we can make a difference.
By David B Honaker
