Giant construction project takes shape in remote North Korea

Yahoo – AFP, Sebastien BERGER, September 20, 2019

.Greenhouses in Samjiyon devoted to growing crops for the chronically
undernourished North (AFP Photo/Ed JONES)

Like a scene from an epic film, thousands of workers swarm over the building sites of Samjiyon, a monumental construction project in the far reaches of North Korea ordered by leader Kim Jong Un.

They clamber over wooden scaffolding and dangle from window frames, and whether they are carrying loads, sifting sand or mixing concrete, most of the work is carried out by hand.

The plan involves nothing less than the rebuilding of the entire town of Samjiyon, the seat of a county that includes the supposed birthplace of Kim's father and predecessor Kim Jong Il, and Mount Paektu, the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation.

The plan involves the rebuilding of the entire town of Samjiyon, the seat 

of a county that includes the supposed birthplace of Kim's father Kim Jong Il 

(AFP Photo/Ed JONES)

It encompasses a museum of revolutionary activities, a winter sports training complex, processing plants for blueberries and potatoes -- two of the area's most important crops -- a new railway line to Hyesan, and 10,000 apartments.

It is the kind of showpiece scheme that can only be launched by a state as monolithic as North Korea, where authorities can decide to deploy vast amounts of resources and manpower to a single goal and implement it by order.

The results can be striking -- thousands of houses were built in just three months after flooding hit North Hamgyong province in 2016.

But doubts have been raised about the sustainability of such projects once the physical infrastructure is established, with questions over issues ranging from utility supplies to durability and economic viability.

Kim inspected the Samjiyon Potato Farina Production Factory last year 

(AFP Photo/KCNA VIA KNS)

'Home of our revolution'

Leader Kim has himself addressed such concerns on his several inspection visits to Samjiyon -- one of which, last year, saw him photographed sitting with officials on a mountain of potatoes, which he is encouraging to diversify the food sources in the chronically undernourished North.

The builders should prioritise quality over speed, he told them at the time, with the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) citing him saying that if construction was "gorgeous in appearance but poor in substance, it will be blamed by the people and future generations".

He has also stressed the need to ensure sufficient electricity supplies in the drive to turn Samjiyon, the "home of our revolution" into "a highly civilised mountainous city" and "the richest county in the country", according to KCNA.

Greenhouses in Samjiyon devoted to growing crops for the chronically 

undernourished North (AFP Photo/Ed JONES)

It is an ambitious goal in a remote, challenging environment, with long, bitterly cold winters and mountainous terrain, and an area where many roads are still unsealed.

According to local officials, around half of the workforce in Samjiyon county -- which has a population of 25,000 -- are employed in maintaining its historic sites and related activities, 20 percent in agriculture and the rest in industry, including food processing.

'Hostile forces'

Pyongyang has given no figures for the cost of the redevelopment, which will open in phases with Kim ordering completion by the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in October next year.

The project includes plans to build 10,000 apartments (AFP Photo/Ed JONES)

Some of the Samjiyon buildings already appear finished with their exteriors tiled, others remain just concrete shells.

Many of the builders are soldiers -- much of the North's army is devoted to construction -- while others are civilians, and they work even on the harvest holiday of Chusok, one of Korea's most important traditional festivals.

Students have been sent to work on the scheme during university holidays and some of those on site appear to be teenagers.

Many of the builders are soldiers -- much of the North's army is devoted 

to construction (AFP Photo/Ed JONES)

But while the North is never short of manpower, observers suggest that sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes have impacted projects such as Samjiyon and the giant Wonsan-Kalma tourist development -- which has repeatedly been delayed -- on the west coast.

KCNA quoted Kim in April calling Samjiyon "a fierce class and political struggle against the hostile forces seeking to check the advance of the DPRK".

Beijing tasked with crap job of creating 'toilet revolution' in rural China

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-07-18

Outhouses in Quzhou, Zhejiang province. (Internet photo)

Toilets in the Chinese countryside have earned a nasty reputation, with some little more than ramshackle shelters surrounded by bunches of cornstalk and others just open pits next to pigsties.

However, a toilet revolution is under way as the Chinese government scrambles to meet a UN health target requiring 75% of rural areas to have sanitary toilets by this year.

China's national standard require toilets in rural homes to have walls, roofs, doors and windows and to be at least two square meters in size. They may be flush toilets or dry toilets with underground storage tanks.

Provincial officials around the country said they have been urged to renovate sub-standard toilets and build new ones for farmers.

"Toilets seem like quite an insignificant thing, easily overlooked, but we find it to be an important and quite difficult task," Chen Xiaojin, deputy chief of the health department in eastern China's Jiangsu province, told Xinhua.

Currently, 94% of rural Jiangsu homes have these "sanitary" toilets. Chen said Jiangsu boasts the highest number of up-to-standard toilets in the country, thanks to persistent work in persuading and assisting rural residents to upgrade their facilities.

Sanitary toilets are a health priority for Jiangsu officials. The provincial health department publishes a ranking of cities each month based on their work to build new toilets. Officials who have slacked off risk being reprimanded.

According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, a national figure on rural toilets will not be available until the end of the year. But the commission said China should have no problem meeting the UN target, as the 2014 figure had already reached 74%. China will set an additional national target of 85% for 2020.

"We must realize the period from now to 2020 is crucial. We are under a lot of pressure, and officials at every level must advance with the campaign," said Li Bin, head of the commission, at a national conference last December.

In Yongkang Village in central Jiangsu, villager Bu has just finished building a flush toilet.

"This kind of new, high-quality toilet is much better and cleaner with no smell," he said. His old one was a thatched space full of flies and maggots. "In the countryside, toilets used to be the dirtiest places. Now they have become the cleanest spots," he said.

HEAVY FUNDING

In Bu's village, each household received 800 yuan (about US$130) from the government to rebuild or renovate their toilets during the first half of 2015. The average home toilet upgrade costs about 3,000 yuan (about US$485), and the farmers must make up the costs not covered by the subsidies.

From 2004 to 2013, China's central government earmarked 8.27 billion yuan (US$1.33 billion) to build toilets in rural areas. Farmers who have agreed to build new toilets are eligible to receive the funds. The amounts vary from 150 yuan (US$24) in central and western China to 500 yuan (US$80) in the eastern and southern regions, where building materials are more expensive. Local governments with deeper pockets may also offer additional subsidies to villagers.

However, officials claim convincing rural residents to change their toilets is a challenge. "Most villagers are used to their way of using the toilet. It is hard to change," said Wang Zhigang, Communist Party secretary in Tanggou township in northern Jiangsu.

Farmers collect feces to be composted on their farmland. If they use flush toilets, no compost will be left behind. Dry toilets with tanks bring the extra task of regular cleaning.

"We had to build a few toilets first and take villagers to visit, and then encourage them to build new ones," he said. Slogans such as "sanitary toilets improve lives" are painted on walls of rural homes. TV stations are told to air videos promoting the use of better toilet facilities.

Fu Yanfen, a researcher at China Disease Prevention and Control, warned that about 80% of contagious diseases such as diarrhea and cholera in rural China are caused by contamination from toilets.

"The improvement of rural health has a profound impact on rural life and the rural economy. The local government must keep up with their work. We should continue to help the villagers in the repair, cleaning and maintenance of these facilities," Health Minister Li Bin said.

A renovated bathroom at Guilin Central Square, Guangxi, Feb. 26. (File photo/Xinhua)

Related Articles:

Toilets to be upgraded at tourist sites in China

'Toilet revolution' set to transform China's tourist sites

A cleaner at work at a toilet in Xujiahui Park in Shanghai, Oct. 21, 2014.

(File photo/Xinhua

Indian children asked to blow whistle on open defecation

This Man Is Modi's Best Chance To Make India Sanitary

'Tokyo should no longer be inhabited,' Japanese doctor warns residents regarding radiation

Natural News, David Gutierrez, staff writer, July 21, 2014

Tokyo City View Buildings Roads

(NaturalNews) In an essay addressed to his colleagues, Japanese doctor Shigeru Mita has explained why he recently moved away from Tokyo to restart his practice in western Japan: He believes that Tokyo is no longer safe to inhabit due to radioactive contamination caused by the March 11, 2011, meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The essay, titled "Why did I leave Tokyo?" was published in the newsletter of the Association of Doctors in Kodaira, metropolitan Tokyo.

Soil tests prove contamination

Dr. Mita opens his essay by contextualizing his decision to leave, noting that he had a long history as a doctor in Tokyo.

"I closed the clinic in March 2014, which had served the community of Kodaira for more than 50 years, since my father's generation, and I have started a new Mita clinic in Okayama-city on April 21," he wrote.

Dr. Mita notes that, for the past 10 years, he had been working to persuade the municipal government of Tokyo to stock iodine pills to distribute to the population in the case of a nuclear accident. Dr. Mita's concern had been that an earthquake might trigger a meltdown at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant. All of his requests were rejected, however, under the excuse that there was no reason to expect such an accident.

When the disaster did occur -- albeit at a different plant than Dr. Mita had feared -- Tokyo did not act to protect its population, and still has taken no measures. Yet, based on soil surveys, Dr. Mita noted, "It is clear that Eastern Japan and Metropolitan Tokyo have been contaminated with radiation."

Dr. Mita compares radioactive contamination of the soil (measured in becquerels per kilogram, Bq/kg) in various parts of Tokyo with that observed in various portions of Europe following the Chernobyl disaster.

Prior to 2011, Shinjuku (the region of Tokyo that houses the municipal government) tested at only 0.5-1.5 Bq/kg. Today, levels at nearby Kodaira are at 200-300 Bq/kg.

"Within the 23 districts of Metropolitan Tokyo, contamination in the east part is 1000-4000 Bq/kg and the west part is 300-1000 Bq/kg," Dr. Mita wrote.

For comparison, Kiev (capital of the Ukraine) has soil tested at 500 Bq/kg (Cs-137 only). Following the Chernobyl accident, West Germany and Italy reported levels of 90-100 Bq/kg, and both experienced measurable health effects on their populations.

Dr. Mita notes that the radiation situation in Tokyo is getting worse, not better, due to urban practices of concentrating solid waste in small areas such as municipal dumps and sewage plants. That is why, he says, radiation levels in Tokyo riverbeds have actually been increasing over the prior two years.

"Tokyo should no longer be inhabited, and... those who insist on living in Tokyo must take regular breaks in safer areas," Dr. Mita writes. "Issues such as depopulation and state decline continue to burden the lives of second and third generation Ukrainians and Belarusians today, and I fear that this may be the future of Eastern Japan."

Patients showing radiation-induced sickness

Dr. Mita's essay also chronicles the many cases he has observed of patients presenting with radiation-induced health problems. He notes that, since 2011, he has observed while blood cell counts declining in children under the age of 10, including in children under one year old. In all of these cases, symptoms typically improve if the children move to western Japan. He has similarly observed persistent respiratory symptoms that improve in patients who move away.

Other patients have shown symptoms including "nosebleed, hair loss, lack of energy, subcutaneous bleeding, visible urinary hemorrhage, skin inflammations, coughs and various other non-specific symptoms." He also notes high occurrences of rheumatic muscle symptoms similar to those observed following the Chernobyl disaster.

"Ever since 3.11, everybody living in Eastern Japan including Tokyo is a victim, and everybody is involved," he wrote.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.save-children-from-radiation.org

http://science.naturalnews.com

Japanese farmers bring a cow to the front of the agriculture
ministry in Tokyo, on June 20, 2014

Related Articles:

Angry Japan farmers bring Fukushima cow to Tokyo

"Fast-Tracking" - Feb 8, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Reference to Fukushima / H-bomb nuclear pollution and a warning about nuclear  (> 20 Min)

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“... Japan

Let us talk for a moment about Japan, and then I'll close the day of messages. There are thousands of souls on my side of the veil and they're just fine, more than fine. We have spoken so often of what happens at the Wind of Birth. I told you, before they even came in, they saw the potential. I looked in their eyes. "You may not last long. You know that, don't you? You're coming into this planet and you may not be here very long. And the passing that you will have with your family will not be pleasant, if any ever are. Why would you come in anyway?" I want to tell you what they said. When a soul has the mind of God, it understands fully what generates peace and what generates energy shift. You can clearly see what generates what the planet needs the most when you are about to arrive. So they said, "We're going to be part of one of the biggest compassion events the planet has ever seen." One earthquake, one tsunami. All of those who left that day will change the earth forever. And it already has. It was the same for the last tsunami as well.

Every single one of them on my side of the veil is getting ready to come back. Many old souls were involved, and just for a moment, if they could give you any information, if they could talk to you right now, if they could speak your language and look into your eyes, they would thank you for your compassion for them and those who are left. And they would say, "Be with those family members who are still alive. Enter their hearts every day and give them peace and keep them from crying, because we're OK."

Nuclear Power Revealed

So let me tell you what else they did. They just showed you what's wrong with nuclear power. "Safe to the maximum," they said. "Our devices are strong and cannot fail." But they did. They are no match for Gaia.

It seems that for more than 20 years, every single time we sit in the chair and speak of electric power, we tell you that hundreds of thousands of tons of push/pull energy on a regular schedule is available to you. It is moon-driven, forever. It can make all of the electricity for all of the cities on your planet, no matter how much you use. There's no environmental impact at all. Use the power of the tides, the oceans, the waves in clever ways. Use them in a bigger way than any designer has ever put together yet, to power your cities. The largest cities on your planet are on the coasts, and that's where the power source is. Hydro is the answer. It's not dangerous. You've ignored it because it seems harder to engineer and it's not in a controlled environment. Yet, you've chosen to build one of the most complex and dangerous steam engines on Earth - nuclear power.

We also have indicated that all you have to do is dig down deep enough and the planet will give you heat. It's right below the surface, not too far away all the time. You'll have a Gaia steam engine that way, too. There's no danger at all and you don't have to dig that far. All you have to do is heat fluid, and there are some fluids that boil far faster than water. So we say it again and again. Maybe this will show you what's wrong with what you've been doing, and this will turn the attitudes of your science to create something so beautiful and so powerful for your grandchildren. Why do you think you were given the moon? Now you know.

This benevolent Universe gave you an astral body that allows the waters in your ocean to push and pull and push on the most regular schedule of anything you know of. Yet there you sit enjoying just looking at it instead of using it. It could be enormous, free energy forever, ready to be converted when you design the methods of capturing it. It's time.

So in closing, do you understand what you're seeing? You're seeing intelligent design, quantum energy and high consciousness. You are seeing changes in Human nature. You're seeing countries putting things together instead of separating. You are seeing those who don't want war and instead want peace, good schools for their children, safety in their streets and a say in their government. We told you it was going to happen this way. I want my partner to teach these things that I have said in his 3D lectures for awhile. Many won't be able to know these things otherwise.  …”

Dutchman in Kenya: drilling against drought

RNW, 6 August 2011, by Rob van Dijk

 (Foto: Robin Hutton)

             

To combat Kenya’s drought and famine, a Dutch resident wants to drill new wells, down to 100 metres, four to ten times deeper than most existing ones. “Most shallow wells have dried up. We could start drilling in two or three months.”

Wim van den Burg lives in southeast Kenya, close to the Somali border. In October and November, the “little rainy season”, there was no rain at all, the Dutchman recounts. “If we didn’t get any rain in the ‘big rainy season’ in November, I realised, we’d be in big trouble. And we are.”

No drinking water

There were a few showers in July. By then most of the corn had been scorched. A few stalks yielded shrivelled oars, far too little to feed all the hungry mouths. Worse still, many wells dried up, leaving people with nothing to drink.

Things are bound to get worse, Van den Burg fears, not just in Kenya, but across East Africa. “The next rainy season, the little one, doesn’t begin until October. Even if we get rain then, people won’t be able to harvest their crops until two or three months later.”

Deep down

Van den Burg has been working in Kenya since 1989. “We’ve dug 50 or 60 wells, each 10 to 25 metres deep. Most of them are still working. But in the remote areas the wells are dry.”

To find water, you need to drill further down, he explains. But to get to some 100 metres down you need a special drill, which costs around 60,000 euros. “Such drills also allow you to test the quality of the water, so you know if it’s worth building a well.”

Last weekend he began a drive to raise the money. Once he gets the drill, thousands of starving, thirsty people will again be able to drink and feed themselves.

More information at www.wimvandenburg.nl

Related Article:

[Video] Hiware Bazar: The Miracle Water Village

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil at Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.) - New ! 

World Water Day: Why business needs to worry

BBC News, VIEWPOINT, by Peter Brabeck-Letmanthe, Chairman, Nestle S.A.

Global water requirements ... will be 40% greater than what can currently be sustainably supplied

Monday is World Water Day, but I suspect relatively few will have noticed.

While the world is rightly moving to address the challenges presented by climate change and depleting supplies of fossil fuels, the same awareness and consensus does not exist when it comes to addressing our usage of water. Yet the harsh fact is that we will probably run out of water long before we run out of fuel.

We need to act fast, now.

Most people equate water consumption with what they use in their homes and places of work, but the challenge facing the globe goes much, much further than that. The 2030 Water Resources Group, a collaboration between the private and social sectors to discover solutions to combat water scarcity, estimates that global water requirements will grow by over 50% over the next 20 years. Such levels of usage will be 40% greater than what can currently be sustainably supplied.

Of course this global figure is an aggregation: at a more local level the situation is far worse. For example, by 2030 one third of the global population, mainly concentrated in developing countries, will have only half the amount of naturally renewed water available they need.

More than tap

Efficiency in water usage is not improving fast enough

What most consumers might not be aware of is that agriculture accounts for 70% of global water usage today, and how the need to feed the growing population of the world will put an even greater strain on already scarce water resources.

And in recent years food and water supplies have also been significantly affected by the use of agricultural land and resources on the production of biofuels.

The 2030 Water Resources Group also predicts that industrial use of water will almost double by 2030. It currently accounts for 16% of total usage - more than half of it for energy production - and this will grow to a projected 22% by 2030 with China alone accounting for 40% of the additional demand.

The challenge facing governments, businesses and - arguably - all of us, is how to close the gap in supply in a way that is both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. At the moment we are coping by 'borrowing' water supplies from non-replenishable aquifers or from water reserved for environmental needs, an approach which is clearly not a long-term solution.

Crop per drop

Efficiency lies at the heart of debate, just as with climate change. Yet while great strides have been made around carbon, the track record of water efficiency from both agriculture and industry does not inspire confidence: between 1990 and 2004 the annual rate of efficiency improvement in both sectors was approximately only 1%.

Agricultural productivity has the potential therefore to play a fundamental role and increasing the "crop per drop" is vital, particularly in the developing world.

There are measures such as no-till farming, improved drainage and utilisation of the best seeds that may even have a positive return for farmers. The water cost curve of the 2030 Water Resources Group shown in this document provides the tools for comprehensive, cost effective strategies.

Microfinance

Within an overall strategy, the buyers of the farmers' produce can also play their part by offering their suppliers training, technical assistance and even microfinance to help them improve water efficiency. This is an approach we have taken at Nestle where, for example, we provide more than $30m worth of micro-credit loans yearly to more than 600,000 farmers worldwide.

Just as microfinance can help farmers, policymakers, financiers and the private sector can do more to ensure that those willing to improve their water footprint at the macro level are given the opportunity - and capital - to do so.

Efficiency must also be a focus for industry and those responsible for planning and managing economic development. Companies and governments are often quick to trumpet their energy efficiency achievements, but too few have taken the same approach with water.

Water shortages are more pressing than climate change

The sooner governments, industry and consumers start to see the links between energy, food and water security, and how policies in one area affect another, the more likely it is that water scarcity will get the profile it deserves and that we start acting decisively to assure the sustainability of humankind's most precious resource, water.

Related Articles:

Unilever, Nestle, Danone - 'the top 3 for sustainability'

Nestlé cultivates 140,000 disease-resistant cocoa trees

RI oil palm farmers ready to boycott Nestle products

Environmental damage in S Kalimantan alarming : minister

Antara News, Saturday, November 28, 2009 00:59 WIB | Environment

Banjarmasin (ANTARA News) - Environmental damage in South Kalimatan has reached an alarming level, Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said here on Friday.

He said South Kalimantan, known as the "province of one thousand rivers", would some day be hit by big floods if the serious environmental problem was not addressed properly.

"Uncontrolled deforestation, air pollution, and water pollution over the past 15 years are major problems in the province," the environment minister said.

The minister said fires and illegal logging activities in the 2003-2007 period alone had destroyed more than 1.7 million hectares of forest in the province.

He said the extensive forest damage in the province had diminished the water flows in river basins and therefore floods and landslides frequently happened.

In 2007 alone floods hit the province 32 times and in 2008 and 2009 the number continued to increase because of silting up of rivers and illegal logging activities.

Such a condition, according to environment minister, was worsened by the malfunctioning of rivers as a result of domestic and industrial activities.

To overcome the problems, the local government would launch clean-water and blue-sky programs, in addition to the construction of waste water management systems, and rehabilitation of degraded forests.

Government Plans Village-Based Businesses

The Jakarta Globe, Teguh Prasetyo, February 6, 2009 

In an attempt to counteract the rising tide of job losses, the Ministry of Industry will continue to develop rural small- and micro-business centers through its “One Village, One Product” program, or OVOP, which began this year. 

“Upon seeing the massive layoffs in manufacturing, the ministry realizes the need for empowerment programs such as OVOP to help create industrial centers and more labor-intensive development projects in villages,” Agus Tjahajana, the ministry’s secretary general, said on Thursday. 

OVOP programs encourage the residents of a village to pool their efforts to develop their local economies by utilizing nearby natural resources. 

According to the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, 17,488 workers were laid off from January 2008 until December, but the Indonesian Employers Association, or Apindo, placed the figure at 100,000 dismissed workers for all of 2008. 

Fauzi Azis, director general of small and medium industry at the Ministry of Industry, said that through training and technical assistance, OVOP would help villages develop agricultural, furniture and handicraft businesses. 

“The program will also develop human resources for firms operating in villages,” he said OVOP program is currently being implemented in villages in Java, but Fauzi said the program would also be expanded to Sumatra, Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara Province. 

“We also want villages in the program to add value by developing their own natural resources such as agribusiness plantations for corn, potatoes, cacao and other corps,” he said. 

The ministry also plans to continue cooperative efforts between OVOP and local and foreign institutions like the Japan External Trade Organization, or Jetro. 

Agus said that smaller firms tend to be more resilient in times of financial crisis and collectively employ large numbers of workers throughout the country. 

Ministry data show that the number of Indonesian SMEs in increased to 3,554,706 manufacturing businesses employing 7,633,768 workers in 2008, compared with 3,442,306 firms with 7,632,931 employees in 2007. The total value of SME exports came to $10.5 billion in 2008, up from $10.2 billion the year before. 

This month, the government announced a stimulus budget for cooperatives and small- and medium-sized businesses totaling Rp 315 billion ($26.8 million). In addition to the stimulus, the ministry has also allocated roughly Rp 59 billion to help fund the OVOP program.

Palembang to have compost plant soon

Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - PT Organic Recovery Group Indonesia, a subsidiary of an Australian company, will soon build a compost plant in Palembang, capital of South Sumatra province, at a cost of US$1.5 billion.

The plant, to be built on two hectares of land near the Sukawinatan landfill, was expected to start operating in July 2008, the company`s director, Richard Lee, said Thursday after signing a memorandum of understanding with Palembang Mayor Eddy Santana Putra on the construction of the project.

Lee said the plant would have a production capacity of 40 tons a day or 12,000 tons a year in the early days of its operation.

The company would sell most of its products to local farmers, he said adding it would also cooperate with state fertilizer company PT Pusri in marketing the products to the rest of the country.

Experts promote new ways to fight deforestation

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Researchers from the Development Center for Bogor Forest Products recently completed the construction of 10 houses near Cifor forest in Bogor's Sindangbarang Jero village.

The stilt houses, made from coconut and sengon trees, form part of the team's research into wood preservation methods.

The head of the development center's research evaluation unit, Suhariyanto, said public knowledge about timber varieties was extremely limited, which contributed heavily to deforestation.

"People are only familiar with teak, meranti and ramin wood, which they use to build their houses with or make furniture from, and supplies are becoming less and less.

"Indonesia has 4,000 types of timber, including trees that commonly grow near homes such as coconut, mango, durian, sengon and acacia mangium trees. These types of timber are good for building houses that would last for at least 50 years if the timber was preserved properly," he told The Jakarta Post recently.

He said some types of timber, including sengon, were resistant to termites.

Researcher Efrida Basri, who specializes in wood drying, said if proper preservation methods were used, common types of wood could become reliable substitutes for conventional types of wood taken from endangered forests.

"People only collect fruit from common types of trees. This type of mind-set needs to change if we want to see our forests last," she said.

Efrida said the use of better preservation methods could make the export of commonly found trees in Indonesia quite lucrative.

She said traditional methods of preserving wood, such as drying it under the sun, resulted in Indonesian wood continuing to be of a low quality.

"But wood-steaming machines are relatively expensive for small-scale plantation owners," she said.

Efrida said the center had designed wood steamers for the wider community to use.

Home-industry businesses in Bogor and other areas of West Java, Papua, Aceh and Central Java already use wood steamers in their day-to-day production.

Indonesia loses Rp 5.71t through unused lands

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Indonesia loses a potential Rp 5.71 trillion (US$630.40 million) annually from 7.15 million hectares of unused land across the country, or an area 110 times the size of Singapore, an official says.

That (the potential loss) is equal to our GDP or our production value for the whole year, including that produced by foreign companies operating here," head of the National Land Agency (BPN), Joyo Winoto, said here Wednesday.

Winoto made the remarks at a three-day seminar and congress of the Association of Indonesian Soil Sciences (HITI), which he officially opened at UPN Veteran University in Yogyakarta.

Some 500 scientists attended the event, which was held under the theme: Solution to the mismanagement of lands and water to help improve people's welfare.

Winoto said the estimated loss was based on a rough calculation of the existing use of lands across the country.

Winoto said unused land was often unable to be utilized or managed for productive activities as it was usually owned by either individuals or companies.

He attributed this to a lack of adequate regulations, saying Law No 5/1960, that should function as the basis for agrarian affairs in the country, was not effective.
|
Another regulation -- Law No 56/1960 -- he said, dealt only with restrictions on land ownership for agricultural purposes for individuals.

"A regulation (on land ownership) for individuals for non-agricultural purposes does not exist yet ... neither does one for companies dealing with both agricultural and non-agricultural industries," Winoto said.

"What we have now is only a regulation set by the BPN head. And this is not enough. We are dealing with concession issuance. It's a state policy. So, a comprehensive law is required."

He said the concentration of private control over resources was unhealthy, especially over land and the economic and political resources of a nation.

"It's really very worrying to learn there is a holding company here in control of more than 400,000 hectares of land. That is seven times (the size of) Singapore," he added.

He said 56 percent of Indonesia's strategic national assets were under the control of only 0.2 percent of the total population of the country, creating gaps in social, economic and political matters.

The problem, according to Winoto, gets more complicated when it is related to the problem of poverty.

Some 39 million of Indonesia's population, he said, were economically poor, including 66 percent that lived in rural areas and 56 percent of which depended on agriculture for a living.

"It's quite interesting to learn that, in this independent country, 90 percent of the economically poor people are hard workers. They work hard but they are poor. Why?" Winoto said.

"I had a team look into this. It discovered that most poor people did not have access to economic and political resources, including land, capital and technology," he added.

Winoto expressed hope the HITI seminar and the congress would go beyond discussions on soil fertility and would also contribute to agrarian reform.