WHAT would it be like if the Senayan area had been allowed to remain a settlement for the traditional Betawi people, with each family owning land, their property bordered by banana trees? And what if Kelapa Gading were still rice fields and swampland? Jakarta would certainly not be the third most polluted city in the world after Mexico City and Bangkok.

We cannot turn back the clock. As the nation's capital, Jakarta continues to grow. Factories, of