Nothing but Blue Skies

At the time of this particular post, we are in the thick of the wet season.

Maybe it’s because we have moved out to Bogor, but I don’t recall ever having seen so much rain in my 20 years in Indo. Not the full weeks’ non-stop rain and drizzle, like you get in Sydney and down the south coast of OZ. The rain still comes mainly in strong bursts that last for an hour or two and then subside , allowing all the bikies to get to their destination a little less drenched.

The afternoon drive home has been great. You can see mountains on all sides of Jakarta at the moment. There’s some really big ones out Bogor way, and I’ve never seen them so clearly.

I’ll see if I can get some photos up.

The clear skies got me wondering. Could it really be that the downpours alone and winds are washing away all the pollution from cars and buses, giving us such spectacular views ?
I’ve always cursed the buses as the main culprits to Jakarta’s foul air, but now I’m beginning to wonder if there is another factor….

Living in Bogor among the farmers and bike thieves, you tend to become climatized  to all the burning off that occurs daily. there is no rubbish collection where I live. People simply burn it. Plastic bags, paper, freshly cut grass, leaves. Anything that will catch fire by itself or assisted with a splash of kerosene from the stove.

Boy how they love to burn off. I think i mentioned this in an earlier blog, but it wasn’t until this incessant rain that I realized the real impact of the burning off. With constant rain. People simply can’t burn off. Due to humidity some are finding they can get a great compost heap going and plants and veggies are literally jumping out of the ground . But once things start to dry out, the pyromania sets in. When you have 20 odd million farmers burning stuff everyday, the result is a smoke screen big enough to shroud an entire city.

Breathing disorders , especially in young children are rife in Jakarta.

I can’t get my head around it.

Clean air, wonderful sunsets, mountain views

or

Misty stifling smog.

Why do people choose to damage their environment and themselves, when the alternative choice is just as easy ? – make some nice compost ! Grow some food more effectively !

It always comes back to Education. Fire restrictions would probably help. And council depos with plastic rubish collection bins and community composters.

I just worry that with 200 million people over here, and little environmental education assistance in sight, this part of the world is going to get a whole lot more smokier.

I can see clearly for now.

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