JAKARTA CITY GOVT ADVISED TO LIMIT CAPITAL'S POPULATION

Jakarta, May 7 (ANTARA) - Environment Minister Rahmat Witoelar has called on the Jakarta city administration to impose tighter limits on the national capital's population and enforce its zoning system more firmly.

The minister made the call after a map of regions vulnerable to climate change issued by the the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) had rated Jakarta as one of the most threatened cities in the region due , among other things, to its high population density.

The Special Region of Jakarta is like a barge whose designed capacity is for only 200 people but is in reality carrying 800 people," Witoelar said.

He said people were a major factor in environmental problems because they were both a cause of environmental degradation but also the solution to the problems.

One way to reduce Jakarta city's population density was to move people to live around rather than in the city, he said.

"The idea of relocating Jakarta residents may sound draconian but it is one of he best solutions," he said.

Witoelar said it was hoped Jakarta residents who were aware of their city's vulnerability to climate change would be able to support the government's policies to mitigate the impact of environmental degradation.

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