Indonesia vying for construction market in Dubai

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto and a number of construction businessmen will be visiting Dubai in an effort to win a number of construction projects in the Middle East country, a Public Works Ministry Spokesman said. 

"We will try our best to construction market in the Middle East though Dubai because Dubai is the biggest financial center in the Middle East like Singapore in Asia," Sumaryanto Widayatin, head of construction development affairs of the Ministry of Public Works, said here on Monday. 

The minister`s delegation will be visiting Dubai during which it would attend an expo held in that country. 

Widayatin, who is one of the 40 members of the Indonesian delegation, said that the Indonesian construction businesses were to take part in the expo in order to seize construction business opportunities. 

He said that the construction market in Dubai was estimated at US$20 billion. It needed skills such as in the building maintenance. 

Widayatin said that Dubai itself was known as the `big five` in the building business in the Middle East that would surely promise a good market potential. 

He said that Indonesia was now preparing to set up a representative office i Dubai. "The problem is whether to open our own branch office or just to join with the Indonesian Embassy`s attache," he added. 

Widayatin said that could not set any business target for Indonesia in the expo which would be held for three days. 

The public works ministry official said that Dubai had relative big market potentials but it was hard for Indonesian contractors to take part not because of competition but because of certainties in the payments. 

"Overseas, we don`t know to whom the payments that are obtained should be charged. There must be certainties with regard to this. After all, we also need certainties in banking support because no supporting banks already available overseas," he added. 

He said that at present Dubai still had plans to build a lot of new buildings most of which were high rise ones.

New look for old markets: Clean, shiny -- and empty

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 11/20/2008 10:33 AM 

 

NEW FACE: The stalls are clean and well-organized in Mede market, South Jakarta, thanks to a renovation project several years ago. (JP/Nani Afrida)

Suryat had been waiting for customers at his tempe (soybean cake) stall at Cipete market in South Jakarta since 6:00 a.m.

 

"Only a few customers have come to buy my tempe today, I wonder where the others are," he said over the weekend.

 

Weekends are normally peak times for market vendors, but not for those at Cipete. Suryat said the market had seen fewer buyers since it was renovated three years ago.

 

"Of course, many people still come here, but the number is getting smaller day by day. Perhaps they prefer to go to the supermarkets near here," he said.

 

The middle-aged man has spent almost his entire life as a tempe seller at Cipete. He says he cannot imagine doing anything else.

 

"I've been here since the market was still small and dirty before the government decided to temporarily close it down for renovation. Now we have a proper clean market to work in," he added.

 

Cipete market has tile floors and every seller is allocated a table on which to display their merchandise.

 

However, much to the puzzlement of the traders there, the renovation has not lured more customers, rather the opposite.

 

"We are now surrounded by two supermarkets," Suryat sighed. "I don't know. Perhaps that's why."

 

He said he had heard rumors the government would repair the market again, this time to a higher standard. However, he said the rumor was likely false, as the lack of customers would dispel any government incentive to spend more money.

 

"This market is empty. It is only bustling around the times of big holidays, like the fasting month and Idul Fitri," he said.

 

Mede market, also in South Jakarta, faces a similar situation. Mede was renovated by city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya several years ago.

 

The market is now clean and comfortable. It has an efficient drainage system and its floors too are tiled.

 

Even the meat and fish section appears tidy and hygienic.

 

"Before it was renovated, many people came here. I don't know why only a small number of people come now," Syahro, a meat seller at the market, told the Post.

 

It has two floors, including a basement, which is home to the vegetable, meat and fish stands.

 

Most people visit the basement because it is easier to access.

 

"Many shops on the first and second floors have closed because only a few people come to shop there," said Abdurrahim, a parking attendant.

 

He believes the city's more modern, cleaner and air-conditioned markets in the area have stolen Mede's customer base.

 

"You can find modern markets that offer not only fruit and vegetables, but also rice, no more than 50 meters from here," Abdurrahim added.

 

Although the evidence points to a growing prevalence for modern markets over traditional markets in the city, Pasar is optimistic the traditional market will survive.

 

"People of the middle to lower-income brackets who cannot afford to go to supermarkets need the traditional markets. Here, if you have no money, you can still get stuff on credit," said Nur Hafid, Pasar's public relations officer. (naf)

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WIKA to acquire Citra Insan Pertiwi

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 11/19/2008 10:48 AM  

JAKARTA: State owned construction firm PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA) will spend at least Rp 23 billion (US$1.94 million) to acquire a majority stake in PT Catur Insan Pertiwi (CIP), a mechanical and electrical construction company. 

In a statement on Tuesday, WIKA announced it had acquired 70.08 percent of CIP's shares in a bid to support WIKA's power plants construction projects. 

"We are optimistic that this effort will boost WIKA competitiveness in building power plants. This will support WIKA's margin growth in the future," WIKA's president director Bintang Perbowo said in the statement. 

CIP is a private domestic company focusing on mechanical and electrical construction for power plants projects. By buying the company, WIKA expects to increase its cost efficiency and operational effectiveness. 

WIKA recently won several power plants projects, including Muara Karang power plant in Jakarta; Indramayu and Pelabuhan Ratu power plants in West Java, Labuan Banten power plant in Banten, and several other power plants in Sumatera, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

3,402 buildings violate regulation

The Jakarta Post, Mon, 11/17/2008 10:45 AM

JAKARTA: Jakarta Property Management and Control Agency on Saturday said it had issued 3,402 order letters to building owners to stop construction, saying they failed to present complete documents.

Of the number, South Jakarta topped the list with 924 buildings, followed by 815 in East Jakarta, 775 in West Jakarta, 573 in North Jakarta and 315 in Central Jakarta.

The agency's head, Hari Sasongko, said out of the total number, his agency had destroyed 371 buildings, while 737 building owners had reapplied for building permits after completing the required documents. The rest had not yet responded to the letters.

"From the 737 buildings asking for building permits, we managed to gain Rp 10.55 billion in building fees," he said.

In 2007, the number of buildings receiving order letters reached 4,630 buildings, with 700 being destroyed.

PNPM Generasi: Dream School Comes True

World Bank

Available in: Bahasa (Indonesian)

  

October 2008 - For more than 6 months, a huge tent dominated the open field in front of a primary school in Mekar Jaya village in Sukabumi, West Java. It was not an attempt at alternative education; this was outdoor education in the most literal sense.

 

Built in the 1960s, the buildings of SD Negeri Cihamerang, Sukabumi, were run-down and badly in need of renovation. When funding became available from PNPM - Generasi Sehat dan Cerdas, the local community was quick to identify the need to rehabilitate it. (WB)

Built in the 1960s, the buildings of SD Negeri Cihamerang were run-down and badly in need of renovation. In July 2007, the school’s management were forced to move 140 students from class 3 and 4 out of their crumbling classrooms into a temporary structure. The students and teachers traded comfort for safety.

 

Lessons in the tent were hard to bear. At mid-day, with the sun directly over the canvas roof, the tent became a green house. A hot and stuffy classroom does not help children study, but conditions became miserable when it rained: rainwater seeped through the seams and wet their heads.

 

When funding became available from PNPM – Generasi Sehat dan Cerdas, the local community was quick to identify the need to rehabilitate SD Negeri Cihamerang as a priority. Village representatives then put together a proposal for the construction of buildings to replace the unsafe school blocks.

 

Of the funds provided to Mekar Jaya village, USD 6,950 was allocated for the rehabilitation of two school buildings. Local contributions came in the form of voluntary labour. Villagers, including children, contributed building materials such as stones, sand and bricks, giving whatever they could within their capacity. Some were even bringing a brick or a bottle of sand a day to the construction site.

 

To keep the spirits of the students high, the PNPM Generasi facilitators organized a “Draw Your Dream School ” activity. The Sub-District Facilitator, Gresy Renysanty, was impressed with the drawings collected, “They are very beautiful, true expressions from the heart.”

 

On 25 February 2008, the dream school was no longer just a dream. The new buildings were completed and furnished after one month of construction. Finally, the students say they can study in the same kind of environment children from other schools have been able to enjoy. Before when lessons took place in the tents, students often played truant, not wanting to study in the heat or the rain. Nowadays, attendance is almost at 100 percent, except for the occasional absence due to medical reasons.

 

Looking back at the experience, Gresy says, “For all the time I’ve worked as a facilitator for this and other programs, this is the first time I really feel a sense of pride as a facilitator. I can do something good for others after all. ”

Dutch-made floating bulldozers to dredge city canals

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 11/14/2008 8:49 PM  |  Jakarta 

The city administration plans to dredge two urban waterways using equipment from the Netherlands to mitigate flooding in the city. 

Peter Vroege, team leader from the Jakarta Flood Management Pilot Dredging Project, said the equipment would be dispatched in two narrow and shallow waterways, the Mati and Pademangan canals in North Jakarta. 

He said the dredging machines, dubbed floating bulldozers, would dredge the waterways for three months, from Nov. 17 to February. 

"Before we hand over the equipment to the city, we will train public works officials so they are able to operate the equipment on other waterways," he said. 

The equipment is valued at 700,000 euros (US$890,000).

Waste-Generated Power Plant Begins December

Friday, 14 November, 2008 | 21:19 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The selection of investors bidding for a waste technology management project at Bantar Gebang disposal site will be determined next week after the Jakarta administration completes its paperwork next week. Selected investors will manage a waste-generated power plant worth of 900 billion for the next 15 years. The project is due to begin this December. 

According to Jakarta Sanitation Service chief Eko Bharuna, three investors have been selected out of a total 23 companies joining the tender. "We have the winner and the decosopm will be issued next week so they can start working," Eko said yesterday. 

The three companies still being processed are PT Godang Tua Jaya, Total Strategic Investment, and PT Patriot Bangkit Bekasi consortiums. The three consortiums are expected to obtain funding from foreign companies. 

Eko stressed that the winner of the tender will be assessed by their technological capabilities and their sources of funding. Additionally, transportation costs must be in line with the government's regulation, which is Rp 103.000 per ton of waste. "All three companies offer electrical management technology. Technically, they are different, but the output is the same," Eko said. 

In Bekasi, the local administration is cooperating with the Public Works Department to turn waste from Sumur Batu into organic fertilizers and coal briquettes. The total investment project is Rp 1,7 billion. 

The management of waste using bio-fermentation technology began yesterday. The production capacity is 25 tons of waste per day, dividing 15 tons of waste to be produced as organic waste and 10 tons as coal briquettes. 

Susmono, director-general for Environment Rehabilitation and Settlement Development said turning waste into useful materials is a way to reduce the amount of open dumping garbage in Sumur Batu, Bekasi. In a day, 1.200 tons of garbage are dumped on the site. "It is processed until the piles of garbage are gone," Susmono said. 

Bekasi mayor Mochtar Mohamad is optimistic that the bio-fermentation technology will be the biggest contributor of revenues in the region. "This will be a continuous project," he said. 

FERY FIRMANSYAH|HAMLUDDIN

Purified urine to be astronauts' drinking water

By Irene Klotz, Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:11am EST 

 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - As NASA prepares to double the number of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, nothing may do more for crew bonding than a machine being launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.

 

It's a water-recycling device that will process the crew's urine for communal consumption.

 

"We did blind taste tests of the water," said NASA's Bob Bagdigian, the system's lead engineer. "Nobody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water."

 

"I've got some in my fridge," he added. "It tastes fine to me."

 

Delivery of the $250 million wastewater recycling gear is among the primary goals of NASA's 124th shuttle mission, which is due to launch at 7:55 p.m. EST on Friday (0055 GMT on Saturday) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 

Meteorologists predicted a 70 percent chance the weather would be suitable for launch. If the shuttle lifts off on time, it would arrive at the space station on Sunday so astronauts could begin 11 to 12 days of home improvements.

 

In addition to the water recycler, Endeavour carries two small bedrooms, the station's first refrigerator, new exercise gear, and perhaps most important for a growing crew -- a second toilet.

 

"With six people you really do need to have a two-bathroom house. It's a lot more convenient and a lot more efficient," said Endeavour astronaut Sandra Magnus, who will take over as a space station flight engineer from Greg Chamitoff.

 

Chamitoff has been aboard the outpost since the last shuttle flight in June.

 

NASA wants to make sure the water recycling system is working well before adding another three astronauts to the station's crew.

 

SHUTTLE SUPPLIES DRYING UP

 

Reusing water will become essential once NASA retires its space shuttles, which produce water as a byproduct of their electrical systems. Rather than dumping the water overboard, NASA has been transferring it to the space station.

 

But the shuttle's days are numbered. Only 10 flights remain, including a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA is preparing to end the program in 2010.

 

"We can't be delivering water all the time for six crew," said space station flight director Ron Spencer. "Recycling is a must."

 

NASA expects to process about six gallons (23 liters) of water per day with the new device. The goal is to recover about 92 percent of the water from the crew's urine and moisture in the air.

 

The wastewater is processed using an extensive series of purification techniques, including distillation -- which is somewhat tricky in microgravity -- filtration, oxidation, and ionization.

 

The final step is the addition of iodine to control microbial growth, Bagdigian said.

 

The device is intended to process a full day's worth of wastewater in less than 24 hours.

 

"Today's drinking water was yesterday's waste," Bagdigian said.

 

(Editing by Jim Loney and Mohammad Zargham)

Analysts warn 'rusuna' may face delay or termination

Mariani Dewi ,  The Jakarta Post ,   Jakarta  |  Fri, 11/14/2008 11:13 AM   

Property analysts have warned that buyers of state-subsidized apartments (rusuna) could see the construction of their units delayed or stopped if the current economic uncertainty causes developers to lose their commitment. 

However, the housing association and government pledged the continuation of the projects. 

Anton Situros, research head at Jones Lang LaSalle property consultancy, cautioned buyers to expect a delay in the delivery of their units, or at the very worst, no delivery at all. 

He said most property developers were likely to reschedule their project completion dates, and subsidized housing developers even more so. 

"In the current uncertainty, developers are consolidating their projects. They may cancel those still at the planning stage. The apartments that are already launched may be completed, but could face a delay of a year or two," he said. 

"For big developers, the rusuna projects are showcase projects for CSR. I don't think they will make them a top priority," he said, citing the relatively low profit margin from such projects. 

The subsidized housing projects began last year and are targeting 1,000 apartments to house 350,000 low- to middle-income families. Apartment prices are capped at Rp 144 million (US$12,200). 

Wira Agus, a senior manager at consulting firm PT Property Advisory Indonesia, said the risk existed but had not been observed yet, with the impact from the economic turmoil only starting to be felt in October. 

To date, he said, the ongoing projects were still running, albeit at a slower rate. 

"In the current condition, developers may slow down the pace of construction," he said. 

"Delays of a month or two are common in Jakarta. The possibility of cancellations is what we have to worry about." 

Agus said around half of big developers received funding from banks or investors, with the money usually disbursed in stages as construction progresses. 

"Developers receive the full payment from buyers in advance and may pace their spending. Those nearing completion may be safe, but buyers with units still in the early stages of construction may have to watch out," he added. 

However, Indonesian Developers Association chairman Teguh Satria stressed that developers of sold-out subsidized housings were working at full tilt to complete the units. 

"As long as the units are sold out and buyers' bank loans are approved, developers will continue with the construction. Around 70 percent of projects are financed by loans, so developers don't want to delay, because they need the income to pay back the bank loans," Teguh said. 

Bernaldy, head of the rusuna division at the Public Housing Ministry's Formal Housing Unit, said the government was trying to reduce the financial burden on developers. 

"We value engineering. We let them minimize their designs within safety margins. The Jakarta administration has also agreed to halve the retribution fee," he said. 

Bernaldy confirmed the projects still had many takers. 

"No developer has pulled out of the subsidized housing project. There are some who have not started, but that's because of the paperwork," he said. 

He was optimistic the country was still on schedule to build 1,000 towers by 2011 as promised.

Swiss German school to have own campus

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 11/12/2008 10:42 AM  

 

TANGERANG: After eight years of operating in Tangerang, the Swiss German University (SGU) plans to build its own campus on a 10-hectare plot of land in Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) satellite city in Tangerang, Banten.

 

The first stone for the new campus complex was put in place Tuesday. The event was witnessed by German Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Freiher von Maltzan, who is also the honorable chairman of the SGU Foundation, Austrian ambassador Klaus Woelfer and Swiss ambassador Bernardino Regazzoni.

 

Fasli Jalal, the director of higher education at the Education Ministry, SGU rector Peter Psceihd, the SGU board of patronage and management, and the PT BSD board of directors were also present.

 

The planned campus complex will be equipped with lecture rooms, a parking area, pedestrian facilities, a caf*, rectorate building, auditorium, sports hall, soccer field and other facilities.

 

Since it was established in 2000, SGU has been renting a space in the German Centre building in BSD.

 

The university is a government and privately sponsored university. It is managed by the SGU Foundation, which is a joint German, Austrian, Swiss and Indonesian venture.

SGU offers 13 courses, with about 900 students.

 

City plans to fix 405 schools in 2009

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 11/12/2008 10:47 AM  

The basic and middle education agency plans to allocate about Rp 466 billion (US$42 million) to renovate 405 damaged school buildings in five municipalities across the capital. 

Eleven schools will be completely renovated, while the remaining 394 schools will receive new roofs, said the education agency head, Sukesti Martono, on Tuesday. 

"It would take a lot of money to completely renovate all schools. So we decided to just replace the wooden roofs with solid material, like lightweight steel frames, to extend their lifetime," said Sukesti, adding that budget for a total renovation of schools was ten times higher than the budget for replacing roofs. 

The head of the agency's technical and facility division, Didi Sugandhi, said the agency would prioritize school buildings over 25 years of age. 

"For schools with complete renovation, we will prioritize buildings over 35 years and with at least 65 percent of their premises damaged," Didi said at City Hall. 

According to the agency's data, East Jakarta has the highest number of damaged school buildings with 141 elementary and 20 junior high schools, followed by South Jakarta with 126 elementary and eight junior high schools. 

North Jakarta is third with 38 elementary and 11 junior high schools, while West Jakarta comes in fourth with 27 damaged elementary schools and eight junior high schools. 

Central Jakarta has the least damaged schools with 15 elementary school buildings. 

The agency also plans to renovate two elementary school buildings in Thousand Islands regency. 

"Students will be moved to nearby district offices or education subagencies during the renovation," Didi said. 

"In North Jakarta, we will prioritize the renovation of school buildings in flood-prone areas." 

He said the City Council had approved the renovation of 284 school buildings so far, requiring Rp 348 billion in funds. 

"We hope that the other 110 schools can receive assistance next year. Otherwise, we will renovate the buildings in 2010," Didi said. 

Earlier, deputy governor Prijanto said some of the city's older schools were in desperate need of restoration, and that he did not want to hear about collapsing school infrastructure anymore. 

Education is the main focus of the administration's 2009 budget. 

Under the draft 2009 budget, the administration has allocated more than Rp 5.1 trillion (or 23 percent of the 2009 total budget) toward education. 

The number is almost 6 percent higher than this year's budget of Rp 4.9 trillion. -- JP/Triwik Kurniasari

Laundry business causes waste, water problems

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/12/2008 10:43 AM 

 

Garment shops can be found easily trailing down the streets in Sukabumi Selatan subdistrict, West Jakarta, which has been known as the home of ready-made clothing since 1987.

 

Today, as the garment industry thrives, some 48 laundry ventures specialize in jeans attire. The laundries are sprawled out in the 198-hectare area where some 20,050 residents work in various fields related to the garment industry.

 

The 48 laundry ventures employ over 2,700 labors, consisting of people hailing from West Java, Central Java, East Java, Lampung and elsewhere outside the capital as well as local residents.

 

Some of the laundry ventures stand on land rented from the residents, while houses and rooms are also offered for rent to laborers coming from outside Jakarta.

 

Although the neighborhood's economic growth can be attributed to the business, some problems have arisen from the laundry ventures. The environmental problem caused by the blue liquid waste of the laundries is among them, as well as air pollution from coal.

 

According to some residents, the laundries emit a thick black smoke and smelly liquid into the neighborhood.

 

"They also excessively tap ground water for free, while forcing poor households like us to pay tap water for our domestic consumption, which is not cheap," said Zulfa, a resident on Jl. Persatuan in Sukabumi Selatan.

 

A security officer at the Lotus Laundry on the same street, Romli, said most, if not all, laundry ventures in Sukabumi Selatan used satellites to detect groundwater from at least 70 meters below the ground, thus making regular water pumps used by households redundant.

 

"But residents whose homes are close to our place have always received free groundwater extracted using our satellite," Romli said.

 

"We also pay taxes to the mining agency to extract water," he said.

 

In 2005 as the pollution worsened, complaints from distressed residents were filed to the City Council. The administration was then given the authority to regulate the laundry business through a gubernatorial decree that same year.

 

"Years have gone by and nothing has happened," said Kayati, who runs a small jeans business at home.

 

"Officials came here years ago promising to build special gutters for the laundries' liquid waste," she said pointing at the blackened gutters in front of her house.

 

The Head of the city environmental management agency, Budi Rama Natakusumah, said his office wanted to relocate the businesses over the next two to three years to an area more appropriate for their activities.

 

"We're still looking for a place to relocate them," he said.

 

It was previously reported that the administration was considering Semanan, West Jakarta, as the relocation site, yet residents there opposed the plan.

 

Budi said relocating the businesses was not a simple task because many locals depended on the industry to earn income.

 

"The administration has been facilitating meetings between water operator firm and the laundry businesspeople to stop them from using groundwater and to start installing tap water," he said.

 

"To decrease pollution, we are also facilitating discussions on the best solution to waste treatment by inviting several waste management installation companies to participate," Budi said.

 

Sukabumi Selatan subdistrict office deputy head Ibnu Adza said the meetings failed to get a positive response from the laundry businesspeople.

 

"Only 20 (out of 48) businesspeople are willing to attend the meetings."

 

Meanwhile, the head of the West Jakarta environmental management agency, Yusiono A. Supalal, said 12 laundry companies had agreed to build tap water installations at their sites, with six having already built the installations recently.

 

Tap water pipe installation costs Rp 1,166,500, which can be paid through Rp 97,200 monthly installments, said Koh Akiang at Matahari Laundry.

 

"We are still waiting for the installation," he said.

 

Yusiono said discussions were still being held over applicable methods of waste management for the laundry's waste.

 

He could not specify the exact amount the laundry businesses must pay for the communal waste management installation.

 

"We are still studying their water debit capacity to determine how the businesses can participate in the communal waste management installation."

 

Budi said a laundry machine used 3,000 liters each use, and a machine could work five times a day. Romli said his 2,000-square-meter Lotus Laundry had more than 20 laundry machines, meaning he used approximately 300,000 liters of water per day.

 

In response to the administration's plan on environmental regulation, the businessmen offered different opinions.

 

Koh Akiang said he would comply with the administration's regulation concerning environmental safety standards, while Romli expressed the opposite. Romli said he would be bankrupt if he had to use tap water and build a waste management installation.

 

A security guard at Arwana Laundry on Jl. Pos Pengumben Lama, Munzir HR, said judging from past experiences in dealing with city officials, he doubted the success of the new measures.

 

"For a long time, waste management like this has been no more than a discourse," Munzir said.

 

He said he was sent by his employer eight years ago to attend a meeting on waste management installation, but the plan never materialized.

 

Earlier, West Jakarta Mayor Djoko Ramadhan said the municipality would close down laundry businesses that failed to stop exploiting groundwater and build waste management system by November this year.

'Producers responsible' for recycling plastic waste

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post | Tue, 11/11/2008 10:52 AM 

 

Students have to walk along a one meter-wide path beside the confined beach of Sunda Strait to reach State Elementary School 3 in Marunda, North Jakarta.

WASTE HEROES: Two trash pickers swim in the Utan Panjang stream to collect plastic waste from the dirty, foul-smelling water. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

In the water, there are not only fish swimming about, but also waste. A thick layer of plastic waste floats on the water -- from plastic shampoo and beverage bottles to empty noodle cups and snack wrappers.

 

Neither consumers nor producers are excited about cleaning up this kind of waste despite a recent law on waste management.

 

One of the articles in the new law states that producers must manage their own nondegradable packaging and/or products.

 

"There are only a few people who are concerned about the issue and work on waste management," Sri Bebasari, the Indonesia Solid Waste Association (INSWA) head, told The Jakarta Post recently.

 

"Unless something big happens, nobody pays attention to it."

 

Sri is urging the government to guide the operation of Article 15 by regulating on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and asking producers to set up waste management systems for the products they sell.

 

"It is for social fairness. If you produce garbage, you handle it. Do not ask others, like trash pickers, to take over your role.

 

"The process can start at the production stage, with companies using degradable materials, and continue to a system that collects and recycles the packaging," she said, using the Body Shop, where consumers return used packaging, as an example.

 

"Companies' environmental CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities now are only limited to separate and reuse. Some teach people how to make handicrafts from the waste, but this only solves a very small portion of the waste problem," she said.

 

"We are asking the private sector to get involved in the formulation of regulation to make it workable and not just a law that nobody cares about," she said.

 

She said, however, companies were not excited about the suggestion.

 

"We cannot do everything on our own," said Sinta Karniawati, Unilever Foundation general manager.

 

"We cannot collect waste from communal waste bins. It is hard. Even the government finds it hard to do, not to mention Unilever. We are in the consumer goods business, not the waste business.

 

"The trash is thrown out by people. We can clean the river, but it will be dirty again the next day. We cannot just concentrate on the waste because we also have other business activities to handle."

 

Currently the company is working on projects to increase awareness on how to separate waste, make handicrafts from plastic products and make compost from organic waste, Sinta said.

 

"Separating waste makes the job for trash pickers more efficient, and they can earn more. Our handicraft entrepreneurs buy the plastic packaging, which reduces waste," she said.

 

"If people stopped throwing rubbish into the water, there would be no waste there."

 

The foundation is relying on the expected multiplier effects of its community programs to achieve waste management objectives, rather than pumping in money, Sinta said.

 

"We cannot do something that it will jeopardize our main business. After all, the business funds these projects."

 

Waste management is also taking a back seat for another company, LG Electronics Indonesia, which is currently focussing its CSR on community development.

 

"We do not have much waste in our factory to clean up," said Woo Jung Wan, LG Electronics Indonesia finance manager.

 

"We have followed the government regulation about waste management. We sometimes offer trade-in programs where we purchase used LG products at a certain price."

 

The old electronic products are later dismantled based on the materials and sold to appropriate recycling companies, he said. The frequency of such programs is not scheduled, he added.

 

Sri said companies, especially multinational corporations, should play a bigger role in waste management, as is common practice in some countries.

 

"Tetrapak in Sweden already has their own recycling program. The one in Indonesia is still completing their study on collection method, but hopefully they will start soon," she said.

 

Around 70 to 80 percent of waste produced in Jakarta is inorganic, and the proportion is on the rise. The city produces some 6,000 tons of waste every day.

Russians to build biomass power plant

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar | Mon, 11/10/2008 11:15 AM  

The South Sulawesi provincial administration in cooperation with a Russian company JSC PromSviaz Automatika will build a biomass powerplant in South Sulawesi expected to produce between 20 to 100 MW of electricity. 

JSC PromSviaz Automatika's general director Vladimir Khusainov said the powerplant would use rice rice husks and straw as fuel. 

Khusainov, who met South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo here, said his company was interested to invest in the power sector in South Sulawesi as the province had good potential to provide a high volume of rice husks and straw. 

"We observe the quantity of straw and husks in South Sulawesi is abundant and of good quality," he said. 

"So there is good potential for this waste to be used as power plant fuel." 

Khusainov also said that the biomass powerplant would be cheaper to run than powerplants using other fuels such as coal or diesel. 

"Biomass is environmentally friendly because it uses waste materials as fuel," he said. 

"The ash from burning husks and straw can even be sold to the cement and crude oil industries." 

The Russian firm will cooperate with South Sulawesi Provincial Enterprise. 

The provincial enterprise director, Harris Hody, said electricity from a biomass powerplant would be more competitive as the fuel was cheaper. 

The enterprise would also cooperate with Tiara Energy and a Russian consultant, Bantry Corporation, to conduct feasibility studies to determine how much rice husk and rice straw would be needed and where the powerplant would be built. 

Khusainov disclosed that 1 million tons of rice husks could produce 100 MW of electricity, while 5 million tons of rice straw could produce 400 MW. 

"We will decide the powerplant capacity after we conduct the feasibility study," he said. 

"But it will be somewhere between 20 and 100 MW." 

Governor Syahrul hoped that the project could soon be built to help the province overcome the power crisis. There is a deficit of 50 to 80 MW with some 60,000 would-be customers queueing to get electricity. 

"There is no need to conduct research because the provincial agricultural services and other agencies have conducted such research. Just ask them for the results," he said. 

"We will prioritize the project because it also benefits the farmers in addition to generating electricity." 

Syahrul also guaranteed a steady supply of rice husks and rice straw as the province produces five to six million tons of rice every year. 

In response to Syahrul's request, Khusainov promised to speed up the feasibility study from nine to six months and construct the powerplant soon so it could become operational next year. 

Although supporting the projet, however, Syahrul had yet to sign a MoU, saying he would study its contents. 

The governor also said that the form of cooperation between the Russian firm and the South Sulawesi enterprise and its profit-sharing scheme was not yet clear. 

Meanwhile, President of Bantry Corporation, Vasily Tsarev, said the company was also constructing a number of biomass powerplants on Java Island and in North Sumatra province. 

JSC PromSviaz Automatika and the Serdang Bedagai regency administration signed an MoU in October to build a 10 MW powerplant, which can be increased to 20 MW.