Dampak Pertumbuhan Penduduk terhadap Lingkungan di Kota Serang

Abstract

This study examines the impact of population growth on the environment in Serang City, which experiences a population growth rate of 1.8-2.3% per year. The aim of this study is to comprehensively analyze the causal relationship between increasing population and urban environmental degradation. The method used is library research with a descriptive qualitative approach, utilizing data from the Central Bureau of Statistics of Serang City, the Environmental Agency of Banten Province, the Spatial Planning document, and indexed scientific journals. The findings of this study reveal five main impacts. First, land conversion has reduced green open space to only 8% of the total area, triggering flooding and the urban heat island effect. Second, groundwater exploitation has caused seawater intrusion in Kasemen District. Third, air pollution has increased acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases by 20% in the last three years. Fourth, waste volume has reached 400 tons per day, exceeding the capacity of the Cilowong landfill (300 tons/day). Fifth, pressure on biodiversity has led to local extinction of species such as fireflies and wader fish. This study concludes that the environmental carrying capacity of Serang City has been exceeded and radical transformative policies are urgently needed.