Surabaya facing major sanitation problem, experts warn

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , Surabaya | Fri, 11/21/2008 11:13 AM | East Java

Surabaya faces a major threat from inadequate drainage systems and poor waste management that could trigger a serious sanitation problem in the future, two experts warn.

Mas Agus Mardiyanto, dean of Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology's school of environmental engineering, said the poor state of drainage, coupled with shoddy garbage management, posed a chronic environmental problem to residents and hinder any attempts to develop Surabaya into a metropolitan city.

"Annual flooding is a chronic problem city authorities have not solved yet due to the poor condition of drainage. This has been worsened by the increasing production of garbage that is not managed in the Benowo landfill," he told The Jakarta Post after presenting his paper at a seminar on sustainable environmental sanitation for tropical regions here Tuesday.

Mardiyanto said Surabaya produced 900 tons of rubbish every day and its direct disposal at the 37-hectare landfill also posed a health problem to residents in Benowo subdistrict because of the lack of recycling and waste management.

"The landfill faces strong opposition from residents, not only because it poses health problems, but also because its waste water is polluting the groundwater and shrimp and fish ponds," he said.

He added experts from Japan had frequently offered to conduct joint environmental research to seek a comprehensive solution to the environmental sanitation issue.

Mardiyanto also criticized the absence of an integrated water resource management, which is complicating the current water shortage in the city, home to 2.9 million people and thousands of factories.

"As a result, everyone's passing the blame for the polluted rivers and groundwater, with no sides offering a comprehensive solution to the problem," he said.

He added the municipal administration must begin making necessary regulations, and urged water companies to rehabilitate their waste management processes. He also called on NGOs to closely monitor environmental management, and on the police to punish polluting companies.

Tokyo University environmental expert Kensuke Fukushi said the provincial government should devolve the management of water to allow local communities to identify and seek comprehensive solutions to the problems affecting water management.

He added local communities should be trusted to promote the proper management of groundwater, saying skilled engineers were not necessary to help maintain water management facilities.

"Local communities should be given responsibility in managing water resources, and the water distribution should be entrusted to local wisdom," he said.