EVALUATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INDEX AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY INSTRUMENT IN EAST KALIMANTAN: A CASE STUDY OF SAMARINDA, BALIKPAPAN, AND BONTANG

Abstract

The Environmental Quality Index (EQI) is used to describe environmental conditions and support the evaluation of regional environmental policies. However, changes in aggregate EQI scores do not necessarily reflect improvements across all environmental components or indicate how index information is utilized in the policymaking process. This issue is particularly important in East Kalimantan, which faces increasing pressures from urbanization, industrialization, land-use change, and the development of the new capital city, Nusantara. This study aims to evaluate the utilization of the EQI as an environmental policy instrument by analyzing EQI dynamics and their constituent components, the characteristics of environmental pressures, and the linkages between EQI information and policy responses in Samarinda, Balikpapan, and Bontang. The study employs a comparative case study approach by analyzing EQI data and its constituent components for the 2021–2023 period, regional environmental planning and policy documents, and information obtained from policy stakeholders. The analysis was conducted using a descriptive-comparative approach by relating changes in environmental indicators to the characteristics of ecological pressures and corresponding policy responses in each city. The results reveal distinct EQI patterns across the three cities. Samarinda experienced an increase in its EQI from 57.78 in 2021 to 59.90 in 2023, primarily supported by improvements in water and land quality, although pressures related to air quality and urban sanitation remain. Balikpapan's EQI fluctuated from 69.66 in 2021 to 63.96 in 2022 before increasing to 67.64 in 2023, with land quality remaining one of its relatively weaker components. Bontang's EQI increased from 64.09 in 2021 to 67.96 in 2022 before declining to 66.81 in 2023, with water quality posing the primary challenge in the context of industrial activities and coastal areas. Comparatively, the EQI has been utilized as an information source for environmental monitoring, planning, control, and evaluation; however, the linkage between indicator performance, environmental pressure diagnosis, and policy responses varies across cities. The findings indicate that the strategic value of the EQI lies not merely in its aggregate score but in its capacity to connect information on indicator performance with the diagnosis of environmental pressures and policy responses that are appropriate to the characteristics of each region.