Recently appointed minister for the environment Gusti Muhammad Hatta has a vast task ahead of him. Despite considerable talk and the introduction some tough new protection measures in the past few years, there are few signs of any improvement in the state of the nation's environment. Hardly a week goes by without the publication of yet another depressing report, highlighting the rapid decline in the health of this country's natural resources. It would be hard for any new minister to know where to start. But Hatta has pledged to pay particular attention to climate change, forest fires and critical river basins during his first 100 days in office. Rapid population growth and appalling misuse that is unsustainable have seriously decreased the environmental quality water in Indonesia. Experts say that if these problems are not immediately addressed, chronic water pol...