Environmental Pollution
Environmental pollution is considered a normal thing for some people. Environmental pollution can be in the form of air, water, or sound.
Please note, this pollution can become a natural disaster and damage the ecosystem if it is continuously carried out. It is essential for everyone not to cause environmental pollution.
Pollution Problems in Indonesia
In the last ten years, there has been an increase in pollution in Indonesia. More than 93 percent of Indonesia’s 262 million people live in areas with high levels of pollution above WHO guidelines. Life expectancy will decrease if the level of pollution is always high. There are many areas in Indonesia with much worse air pollution than the national average. Life expectancy in Jakarta will be reduced by 5.5 years shorter if the pollution level is always high.
Pollution is the biggest risk to the health of the Indonesian population when measured in terms of life expectancy. For example, cigarette smoke can reduce life expectancy by 1.9 years. Unbalanced nutritional conditions for children and mothers also reduce life expectancy. If this high air pollution continues, Indonesia will lose around 643 years of its life due to pollution. Indonesia bears the highest burden of air pollution in the world.
Based on data from the World Health Organization WHO, air quality in developed and developing countries continues to improve, air quality in developed countries is getting better and air quality in poor countries is getting worse. currently, 90% of the world’s population breathes air polluted by pollution according to the WHO, around 7 million people die from air pollution each year. more than 3 billion women and children breathe deadly air every day because of pollution from fuel. Based on research conducted by WHO, various diseases such as cancer, respiratory problems, and other lung diseases are caused by small particles in the air entering the lungs and the cardiovascular system in the human body. deaths caused by poor air quality occur in low-income countries such as Asia and Africa. The worst air quality occurred in various countries, especially in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Oil-fueled vehicles are one of the factors polluting the air in Indonesia
According to data from Gaikindo in 2009, Indonesia had more than 15 million cars and 112 million motorbikes on the roads. Transportation energy consumption in Indonesia continues to increase due to increased transportation of motorized vehicles and large fuel subsidies and low-interest rates for loans to purchase motorized vehicles. In the field of transportation, big cities like Jakarta contribute 70 to 80 percent of air pollution.
Due to the density of motorized vehicles, traffic jams often occur in Jakarta. This traffic jam results in a high increase in air pollution due to high fuel consumption. Anyone who is outdoors will be exposed to air pollution.
Indonesia needs a solution to this problem of motorized vehicles by increasing the number of public transportation that is comfortable, safe, and appropriate for all people. This improvement in public transportation infrastructure will probably greatly help reduce this air pollution problem.
Water pollution problems in Indonesia
Water, water is a non-renewable natural resource, if there is water pollution, the water quality will decrease. One of the environmental problems that are difficult to control in Indonesia is water pollution.
Water pollution in urban areas, especially in Jakarta, reached 96% in 2018 according to BAPPENAS data. Various factors can affect water pollution, most of which come from household waste, human and pet feces, used detergent water, chemical fertilizers, and many more. Based on data from WHO, 2 billion people have consumed water that is indicated to be contaminated by feces. Water contaminated by human feces has germs that are higher than normal. The presence of E. coli bacteria is an indicator of water pollution.
A dirty aquatic environment is a favorite place for animals that act as transmitters of various diseases such as flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes, etc. The more disease-transmitting animals, the higher the level of water pollution. Water contamination does not only occur in rivers but also occurs in groundwater. Because it is claimed to be more practical, many Indonesian people also use groundwater as a source of clean water. Seepage from septic tanks, landfills, sewage, irrigation canals, and rivers can also contaminate groundwater. The existence of Indonesian people who do not meet sanitation standards for urinating and defecating in water bodies is also a factor in water pollution.
The government must make various efforts to deal with cases of water pollution in Indonesia, such as providing socialization to the public to plan sewage facilities when they want to make or determine the location of well water production. Conduct socialization to the community to carry out sanitation according to standards, and seek clean water needs by switching to using water sourced from pipelines instead of groundwater.
It is also very necessary to make efforts to make people aware not to throw household waste into rivers and not to consume raw water directly.
By: SAFINA RIESA MYLA SHAKEELA
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