Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

My name is Miss Harrison.

I'm so excited to be learning with you.

Today's lesson is called Challenges Caused by Rapid Urban Population Growth: Services.

Grab everything you might need for today's lesson and let's begin our learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how rapid population growth creates challenges for service provision in Jakarta.

Before we begin this lesson, we need to define the keywords that we'll be using throughout today's lesson.

The keywords are: groundwater, pollution and recycle.

Groundwater: this is water found underground in soil, sand, and rock.

It is stored in aquifers and can be used as a source of water for drinking or industry.

Pollution: this is the presence of harmful substances in the environment, such as in the air, water, or soil which can damage ecosystems and human health.

Recycle: this is the process of converting waste materials into new products to prevent waste, reduce the use of raw materials and lower environmental impact.

Now that we've defined these keywords, we can begin our learning.

The first question we are going to explore in today's lesson is why is clean water hard to access in Jakarta? Jakarta is facing a serious water crisis caused by a combination of its location, a rapidly growing population, and weak infrastructure.

Millions of people in the city do not have access to clean, reliable piped water.

Instead, many rely on unsafe sources such as polluted rivers, shallow wells, or expensive water vendors.

Over time, this has led to problems for both public health and the environment.

As demand for water rises, the pressure on Jakarta's already fragile system continues to grow.

In 2024, only 65% of Jakarta's residents had access to clean, safe piped water and access is uneven across the city.

In the northern central parts of Jakarta, coverage is much better with over 60% of people connected to piped water supplies.

But in South Central Jakarta, most areas have less than 40% access, and in parts of South Jakarta, it drops under 20%.

This shows a clear divide in water access between different areas.

Poorer districts often with large, informal settlements are less likely to be connected to formal infrastructure, making residents more dependent on unsafe or unreliable water sources.

According to the map, which areas had the highest piped water access? Was it A: western and southern Jakarta.

B: north and central Jakarta, C: south-central Jakarta or D: south Jakarta? Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is B, north and central Jakarta.

Well done.

Because access to clean, safe water varies so much across Jakarta.

many people, especially in poor area and kampungs, have to find other ways to get water.

In areas without piped water, residents often rely on private wells, but these wells are frequently polluted due to poor waste management and contamination from nearby rubbish or sewage.

Even when water is available, the supply is unreliable, especially during the dry season when demand is high and water becomes scarce.

This leads to serious issues with both the quality and availability of water, putting pressure on health, hygiene and daily life.

Jakarta is sinking and one of the main reasons is the over-extraction of groundwater.

Many people in the city rely on private wells because they don't have access to piped water.

As more water is pumped from underground, the land above it begins to sink.

Some areas are sinking by over 12 centimetres per year, and this process is called land subsidence.

The red areas on the map show where the land is sinking the fastest.

These places often have deep ground water, limited piped water supply, and heavy use of wells.

This not only damages buildings and roads, but it also increases the risk of flooding, especially in low lying areas near the coast.

What is happening in the southern part of Jakarta, according to the map? Is it A: groundwater is shallow and land is stable, B: land is sinking quickly and groundwater is deep, C: there is no groundwater to use, D: subsidence has stopped completely? Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is B.

Land is sinking quickly and groundwater is deep.

Well done if you identified that correctly.

In Jakarta, low access to piped water is one of the main reasons people to turn to groundwater.

Areas shown in blue on the map have better piped water coverage, so fewer people rely on wells, but in areas that are orange and red where piped access is limited or missing, residents often have no choice but to extract groundwater.

Over time, this has serious consequences.

Heavy use of groundwater causes the land to sink, especially in areas where the water table is deep and demand is high.

This creates a cycle.

Poor infrastructure leads to more groundwater use, which leads to land subsidence, putting homes and communities at even greater risk from flooding and damage.

Jakarta's water is often polluted and for many families, bottled water is too expensive to rely on long term.

There are several serious water pollution problems. Many wells draw from groundwater that contains iron, bacteria and chemicals from nearby factory waste.

In addition, leaking toilets and poor sanitation systems often contaminate shallow wells.

Only 5% of homes in Jakarta are connected to sewage pipes, so untreated waste often ends up in rivers and in the ground.

For many families, the only way to get safe drinking water is by buying bottled water,.

But bottled water is expensive and some poor families spend up to 10% of their income on it.

This creates a financial burden, especially in low income areas.

There's also an environmental cost.

Jakarta's heavy use of bottled water contributes to the city's growing plastic waste problem, which can block drains and pollute rivers even further.

I would like you to match the problem with the impact, numbering the matching impact.

Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

For bottled water is expensive, it is poor families spend 10% of income on water.

For groundwater contains chemicals, it's water may be unsafe to drink.

For wealthier people use filters, it's these can clean water of impurities.

For only 5% of homes have sewage pipes, it's pollution from waste seeps into the water sources and for five, bottled water is increasing, its plastic waste is increasing.

I hope you managed to identify those correctly.

Well done.

I would now like you to describe the distribution of piped water customer coverage in Jakarta.

Alex has said he's going to make sure that he uses evidence from the map to describe what errors have good and bad access to piped water.

Pause the video here was to attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

Your answer might have included some of the following points: Piped water coverage in Jakarta is uneven.

The north and central parts of the city have better access with over 60% of people connected to piped water.

In contrast, the south and south central areas have much lower coverage with some places having less than 20%.

The map shows coverage decreases moving from the centre to the south.

Well done if you manage to include some of those points in your answer.

We're now going to explore our second question of today's lesson.

How can Jakarta manage its growing waste problem? Jakarta produces a huge amount of waste, over 7,000 tonnes every day.

In wealthier areas, rubbish is usually collected regularly, but in poor neighbourhoods and informal settlements, waste collection is inconsistent or unavailable.

As a result, littering and illegal dumping are common, especially in rivers, streets and empty land.

This not only makes the city look polluted, but it also blocks drains and waterways.

It increases the risk of flooding and adds to the city's growing health and environmental problems. How much waste is produced on average each day in Jakarta? Is it A: 2000 tonnes, B: 4,000 tonnes, C: 6,500 tonnes or D: 7,000 tonnes? Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is D, 7,000 tonnes.

Well done.

Bantar Gebang is one of the largest landfills in the world, and it's where most of Jakarta's waste ends up.

But BG is nearly full.

As space runs out, waste is being dumped in new, unplanned areas, making the situation even worse.

The landfill is causing serious problems for local communities.

People living close to the site suffer from air and water pollution and the area's often filled with unpleasant smells, pests and rats.

Like all landfills, Bantar Gebang also releases methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and increases the risks of fires and explosions if it's not managed properly.

Alex and Aisha are having a discussion about what problems are caused by Bantar Gebang, who is correct? Aisha said, "Bantar Gebang is a serious problem because it's almost full, and nearby areas are harmed by pollution and pests." Alex said, "Bantar Gebang is not a big issue because it's far from the city, so it doesn't affect people much." Pause the video here whilst you decide who is correct and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The person who is correct is Aisha.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The reason why Aisha is correct is because Bantar Gebang is a serious problem.

It's almost full, so waste is dumped in unplanned areas.

This causes air and water pollution.

It releases methane gas and attracts rats and pests.

People living nearby are directly affected.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

You've done brilliantly.

Only a small amount of waste is recycled in Jakarta, but new plans aim to fix this.

In Jakarta, less than 5% of waste is currently recycled.

Most of it ends up in landfills like Bantar Gebang.

There are only a few recycling centres and there are not enough trained workers, which makes it difficult to manage waste properly.

At the moment, there is no organised system for separating rubbish at home or in schools, so everything is mixed together, which makes recycling even harder.

However, the government is starting to take action.

New plans include building waste to energy plans to reduce landfill pressure and turning recycling into part of the formal economy.

Community projects like composting and small scale recycling schemes are also starting to grow, helping raise awareness and reduce waste at a local level.

I would like you to read each statement below and decide whether it describes a problem or a solution for waste and recycling in Jakarta.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's go through this.

For A: less than 5% of waste is recycled is a problem.

B: government planning waste to energy plants is a solution.

C: no system to separate waste at home or school is a problem.

D: plans to make recycling part of the formal economy is a solution.

and E: few recycling centres and trained workers is a problem.

Well done if you identified those correctly.

I would now like you to look closely at the image of Bantar Gebang, one of the world's largest landfills, and I would like you to add at least four annotations around the photo to show the problems this site is causing.

Pause the video here whilst you complete this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Before we go through our answers, I would like you to complete one more task.

I would like you to describe two problems with recycling in Jakarta.

Laura said, "Recycling is when waste materials are turned into new products to prevent waste.

I recycle lots at my house, but I know Jakarta struggles with this." Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's go through our answers.

For the first question I asked you to add at least four annotations around the photo to show the problems the site is causing.

Your annotations might include: BG is almost full.

Waste is dumped in new and unplanned sites.

Nearby areas suffer from air and water pollution.

Landfills release methane gas.

And rats and pests are common near the site.

I then asked you to describe two problems with recycling in Jakarta.

Your answer might have included some of the following points: One big problem is less than 5% of waste is recycled in Jakarta, which means most rubbish ends up in landfills.

This is bad for the environment because it creates pollution and takes up space.

There are also very few recycling centres and not enough trained workers, so even if people wanted to recycle, they can't.

Another issue is that waste isn't separated at home or in schools, which makes it difficult to recycle anything properly.

These problems make it hard for Jakarta to manage its waste in a clean and sustainable way.

Well done on this task.

I hope you managed to get some of the answers.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our final question of today's lesson.

Why do people in Jakarta lack services? As Jakarta's population grows, hospitals and schools are struggling to keep up with the demand, especially in low income areas.

In healthcare, there is only one doctor for every 1,538 people, which leads to long waiting times, even in emergency departments.

For many poor families, healthcare is simply too expensive and private hospitals are often unaffordable, even though they offer better services.

In education, there aren't enough teachers and class sizes are often very large, particularly in public schools.

Students from poor areas are more likely to fall behind and low-income families may struggle to afford school supplies or transport, and some children drop out early to support their family.

This shows how basic services are stretched as the city grows, making it harder for everyone to get equal access to health and education.

True or false? Most people in Jakarta can easily access good healthcare and education, no matter what income level they have.

Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

This statement is false.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The reason why the statement is false is because: In poorer parts of Jakarta, schools often lack teachers, books and resources.

Many students fall behind or leave school to help their families.

Although Jakarta has about one doctor for every 350 people, hospitals are still overcrowded and poor families struggle to get care.

Well done if you explained that correctly.

You've done brilliantly.

Jakarta's job market is shrinking and this is having the biggest impact on people with less education and fewer skills.

Job losses have risen by 21%, even though the overall unemployment rate has only gone up slowly.

This means many people have lost work, especially in lower paid or informal jobs.

Low income and less skilled workers have been hit the hardest.

They are more likely to work in sectors like street trading, transport, or manual labour where jobs are less secure and harder to replace.

As Jakarta continues to grow and modernise, those without access to education or training are left behind, widening the gap between rich and poor.

What was the approximate unemployment rate by Q2 in 2024? Was it A: 4%, B: 5.

3%, C: 6.

5%, or D: 8%? Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer was C, 6.

5%.

Well done.

What does the graph suggest about the link between job losses and unemployment? Was it A: job losses dropped, but unemployment rose, B: job losses increased faster than unemployment, C: job losses and unemployment rose at the same speed, or D: unemployment increased much faster than job losses? Pause video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is B, job losses increased faster than unemployment.

Well done.

Jakarta's roads are extremely crowded, causing major problems for the city's people, economy and environment.

Public transport is often unreliable, so over 17 million people rely on motorbikes to get around.

This leads to daily gridlock, especially during rush hour.

Many roads are poorly planned and can't cope with the rising number of vehicles.

The result is constant traffic jams, which lead to high levels of air pollution from car and motorbike emissions.

These delays aren't just frustrating, they also have a huge economic cost.

Jakarta loses an estimated 7.

4 billion US dollars per year due to the lost time and productivity caused by traffic congestion.

Alex and Aisha are having a discussion about why traffic is a problem in Jakarta.

Who is correct? Aisha said, "Traffic is only a problem because there are too many motorbikes.

If people just used cars, the roads would be clearer." Alex said, "Traffic causes daily gridlock, wastes time, and increases air pollution." Pause the video here whilst you decide who is correct and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is Alex.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The reason why Alex was correct was because: Jakarta has over 17 million motorbikes and poor roads, which causes daily gridlock, costing Jakarta 7.

4 billion US dollars in losses and increasing air pollution.

Well done if you managed to explain that correctly.

Almost everyone in Jakarta has access to electricity with coverage close to 100%.

But in poorer areas, the supply is often unreliable with frequent power cuts and unstable voltage.

This makes it harder for families to cook, study, or work from home.

Jakarta also uses 10 times more electricity than the national average due to its size, businesses and growing number of homes and vehicles.

Most of its electricity comes from coal fired power stations, which produce large amounts of air pollution and greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change and poor air quality in the city.

What is the main issue with electricity supply in poorer areas of Jakarta? Is it A: there is too little demand for electricity, B: demand for electricity is too high to be supplied, C: more power cuts and less reliable energy, D: dependence on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels? Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is C.

More power cuts and less reliable energy.

Well done on this task.

I would like you to complete the table on problems facing Jakarta services.

The first one has been done for you as an example.

The service areas we are going to focus on are: healthcare, education, transport, employment, and electricity.

Let's look at the example.

The service area was healthcare.

What the problem is: There is just one doctor per 1,538 people and hospitals face long wait times, even in emergencies.

Pause the video here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Before we check our answers, I would like you to complete one more task.

I would like you to choose which problem you think has the biggest impact on people's lives in Jakarta.

Laura said she's going to talk about the healthcare as she thinks "it's the most important impact because if people are not well, then countries cannot develop." Is that right? She's correct.

If people are sick, they can't go to work.

So there's less money being brought back into the economy.

Pause the video here whilst you have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

For the first question, I asked you to complete the table on problems facing Jakarta's services.

And your answers could include: For education: A lack of teachers, books and large class sizes mean poorer areas fall behind in school.

For employment: By 2023, eight million people were unemployed, with low-skilled workers most affected.

For transport: Weak public transport has led to over 17 million motorbikes, causing daily gridlock and costing Jakarta 7.

4 billion US dollars a year.

For electricity: Nearly everyone has electricity, but poorer areas face more power cuts.

Most energy, 75%, still comes from polluting coal sources.

Well done on this task.

You've done brilliantly.

For this second question, I asked you to choose which problem you thought had the biggest impact on people's daily lives in Jakarta.

Your answer could include the following: "I think the biggest impact in Jakarta is healthcare.

There is only one doctor for every 1,538 people and hospitals have long wait times, even in emergencies.

This means people might not get the treatment they need when they are seriously ill, especially poorer families who can't afford private care.

If people are too sick to work and can't get help, it also affects the economy because fewer people can earn money or support their families.

That's why I think healthcare has the biggest impact." Well done on this task.

You've done brilliantly.

And I hope you managed to include some of those points in your answer.

We've now come to the end of our learning on Challenges caused by rapid urban population growth: services, and you've done brilliantly.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise everything we've learned today.

Jakarta faces serious challenges as the population continues to grow and urbanise rapidly.

Access to clean water remains a major issue.

While some wealthier areas of piped water, many residents, especially in kampungs and poor neighbourhoods, rely on polluted wells or are forced to buy expensive bottled water.

With only around 65% of the population connected to piped water and very little sewage infrastructure, this creates serious health risks, including diseases like cholera and dengue fever.

Waste collection is another major problem.

In wealthier parts of the city, rubbish is collected regularly, but in informal areas, it is inconsistent or non-existent.

As a result, most waste ends up in unmanaged landfills or is illegally dumped in rivers and streets.

The city's largest landfill, Bantar Gebang, is almost full and causes air and water pollution for nearby communities.

Public services such as healthcare, education and electricity are under extreme pressure.

In poor areas, schools have large class sizes and too few teachers, while hospitals are overcrowded and too expensive for many low income families.

Although electricity access is nearly universal, blackouts and unstable supply are common in informal settlements.

Unemployment is rising and while many people do have work, much of it is low paid and insecure, especially in the informal sector.

Without contracts or legal protections, workers often have no job security and many are left out of the formal economic growth.

These issues show how rapid urban growth has outpaced Jakarta's infrastructure and services, creating a city with sharp inequalities and growing pressures on resources.

Well done on today's lesson, you've done brilliantly and I look forward to learning with you again very soon.