Land subsidence prompts calls for audits

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 04/29/2010 11:13 AM

Experts warned building managers to beware of cracks and lopsided structures in buildings in areas greatly affected by land subsidence as this could indicate the need of further reinforcement.

They also called for audits into the construction work.

“If cracks are found, the structures must injected with epoxy,” Puguh Winanto, a technical structure expert at the Assessment and Application of Technology Agency (BPPT), said.

Puguh said cracks of widths between 0.2 millimeter and 0.4 millimeter were especially concerning.

A study recently found that massive development in the capital has caused Jakarta to sink up to 10 centimeters per year due to extensive ground water extraction and pressure from high-rise buildings in the city.

The highest rate of subsidence was recorded in coastal areas in North Jakarta including Muara Kapuk and Ancol, where extensive development had increased pressure on the relatively young and porous soil beneath.

As for lopsided buildings, Puguh said the BPPT had not ascertained the degree of tilt that could be considered dangerous as there were no studies on the matter.

“A direct effect might be an uncomfortable sensation inside the building,” he said.

However, Puguh underlined that subsidence would not contribute significantly to damage to buildings.

“If the piling are embedded in hard and solid rock, then subsidence would have no relatively significant impact,” he said.

As long as the piles, floor and girder of the main building were not cracked, the building was relatively safe, Puguh said.

A former member of high-rise buildings investigation division at the BPPT, Mulyo Haris Pradono, also said that high-rise buildings were normally built on pilings implanted in solid rock up to 30 meters beneath the ground.

“So they are strong enough to support the buildings and will not be affected by subsidence,” he told The Jakarta Post.

BPPT’s head of disaster mitigation technology, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said the agency had the technology and human resources to audit the structural integrity of high-rise buildings.

Unfortunately, he said, no building managers or even the city administration, were interested in using the technology.

“We have sent proposals to the city administration and some building owners but none of them responded,” he said.

He said he assumed it might be because of the prohibitively high cost of the audit.

“An audit can cost up to Rp 200 million [US$22,000],” he said.

He said an audit was a one-time evaluation and only needed to be repeated following a strong earthquake.

As long as the piles, floor and girder of the main building were not cracked, the building was relatively safe.

Related Article:

Jakarta sinking as fast as 10cm per year

Jakarta administration to seal off fire-prone high-rises

The Jakarta Post,  Jakarta  |  Sun, 03/01/2009 9:45 PM   |  Jakarta

 

The Jakarta fire department said Sunday it would seal off high-rise buildings that failed to comply with municipal fire safety standards.

 

“We have warned [the building owners] before. We will seal off their buildings if they still fail to meet our fire safety requirements,” agency head Paimin Napitupulu told beritajakarta.com.

 

Under existing regulations, a high-rise must have fire safety equipment, like a water hydrant, emergency stairs and fire extinguishers. However, 44 percent of 1,400 high-rise buildings in Jakarta currently fall short of that standard, Paimin said.

 

The agency recorded 90 fires in the first two months of 2009.

Govt to issue new decree on energy savings

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 05/03/2008 11:14 AM

 

While the existing decree on energy savings remains ineffective in easing soaring energy consumption at home, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated later this week to issue another similar decree.

 

Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters Friday the decree would be stricter than its predecessor, forcing the public to limit energy use amid soaring fuel subsidies in the state budget.

 

"The regulation will, for example, task a special inspector to supervise energy saving programs in government offices. It may also demand shopping malls close an hour earlier."

 

"We will evaluate these efforts. We have not discussed raising fuel prices yet." said Kalla, adding that to some extend, the regulation would include efforts to help speed up the ongoing energy conversion program.

 

The government issued in July 2005 a presidential decree on fuel savings before raising fuel prices later in October that year.

 

After the decree was in place, government offices lowered their use of air conditioners and reduced unnecessary traveling.

 

However, the euphoria over the program only lasted for a couple of months when government offices started to turn air conditioners up to the maximum, and left lights on during daylight hours.

 

President Yudhoyono has refrained from increasing domestic fuel prices to match the international market due primarily to publicity concerns ahead of next year's presidential election.

 

Based on the oil price assumption in the revised 2008 State Budget, fuel subsidies have risen from Rp 42 trillion (US$4.56 billion) to Rp 126.82 trillion, or amounting to about 12 percent of the government's Rp 987.48 trillion total spending.

 

The new scheme is based on an estimate the Indonesian Crude Price (ICP) -- the country's benchmark oil price -- will stand at an average of US$95 a barrel for the budget year.

 

But with the ICP now hovering at more than $103 a barrel, the subsidies are likely to soar to more than Rp 140 trillion.

 

The government is exploring other options to help sustain the state budget while maintaining prices.

 

Kalla said the government had sought to garner more oil through production sharing contract (PSC) oil and gas companies.

 

"We have requested the PSCs raise oil production," he said.

 

Kalla on Tuesday gathered some 20 PSCs to his office to demand higher production.

 

However, a source attending the meeting told The Jakarta Post that despite numerous privileges enjoyed by the PSC companies, they requested more incentives and facilities.

 

"These incentives and facilities are requested in exchange for producing more oil. It sounds insensitive, really, at a time when the country is in dire need of oil," said the source.

 

Yudhoyono has received pressure from the business community to hike fuel prices to ensure fiscal sustainability.

 

Analysts fear that if fiscal sustainability is not ensured, overseas lending and foreign-direct investment would suffer.

 

Funds for infrastructure development, education and health are also likely to be strangled as subsidy spending continues to overwhelm the state budget.

Authorities threatens to seal 8 unsafe parking buildings

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): The Jakarta property management and control agency said on Tuesday it had found eight out of 22 parking buildings it recently checked unsafe.

"Those eight buildings need to be renovated with stronger structures," agency head Hari Sasongko said.

"Otherwise, we'll seal the buildings."

The investigation of 22 parking buildings, most of them in shopping malls, was carried out from Jan. 25 to 30 after an accident that saw a car drive off the Menara Jamsostek building in South Jakarta.

Hari said the buildings that were found unsafe had failed to meet minimum safety requirements set in a 2007 regulation on building structures and geotechnology planning.

The regulation says walls in parking buildings must be strong enough to withstand collisions.

Hari said the control agency had required building managers to propose and submit designs at least one month before commencing renovations.

"Their designs must be approved by an agency-appointed independent team prior to the renovations," he said.

Hari said the eight unsafe buildings included Cempaka Mas International Trade Center, Menteng Prada Apartment and up-scale mall Senayan City, all in Central Jakarta, as well as shopping centers Plaza Semanggi and Pasaraya Grande in South Jakarta.

During the investigation, Hari said the agency found another three parking buildings under renovation and 11 that had met safety standards.

Managers of the 11 parking buildings, however, were still required to submit designs.

The agency said it had conducted safety checks after a number of cars had driven off the side of two parking buildings.

The most recent accident took place last month at the Menara Jamsostek building, South Jakarta, where a 42-year-old chauffeur was killed after backing his car through a steel fence.

Two carpark accidents took place last year at Permata Hijau International Trade Center in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.

A family of three was killed when their vehicle fell from the sixth floor of the carpark and the second accident occurred when a driver lost control and rolled backwards, smashing through the one meter-high wall of the spiral ramp.(mtq)

Menara Jamsostek to design new parking lot following fatal accident

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The company that manages the Menara Jamsostek building, PT Sangu, is planning to redesign the building's parking area after a fatal accident Tuesday.

Sangu finance director Jefry Haryadi said Friday construction consultants appointed by the company were working on a new design for the 11-year-old parking building.

"The team is drawing up a new design for the building and is calculating which design is the most economical and can be immediately implemented," he told The Jakarta Post.

"The team is also taking into account construction standards according to current regulations," he said.

Jefry said the team was working with the city property management and control agency on its design to prevent a "possible correction or rejection".

The team's final design will be submitted to an independent panel authorized to determine the feasibility the project during a hearing next Wednesday, Jefry said.

Previously, agency head Hari Sasongko said the building's management team was required to submit a new design for the parking lot that complied with its 2007 decree on buildings and structures.

Hari said the decree stipulated that walls in parking buildings must be resistant to collisions.

He said the agency had ordered the building's management team to temporarily close the parking area until renovations were completed to make it safer following Tuesday's accident, which claimed the life of a 42-year-old man.

The victim of Tuesday's crash was identified as Heryawan, a resident of Pesanggrahan in South Jakarta, who had worked as a driver for an insurance agency for 15 years.

He backed his vehicle through a barrier in the parking building and plunged to his death.

The incident occurred at around 10:30 a.m. after Heryawan drove his employer to a meeting in the building on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

The car hit a passing vehicle before coming to rest upside down on the ground.

Two people inside the car that was hit sustained minor injuries.

According to Jamsostek's operations and services director Ahmad Ansyori, the company offered Heryawan's family Rp 99 million (US$10,550) on Friday, including Rp 200,000 every month for the next 24 months.

"We will also give Heryawan's eldest child, who is still at university, a Rp 150,000 scholarship every month," Ahmad told the Post.

Two car park accidents occurred last year at the Permata Hijau International Trade Center in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.

A family of three was killed when their vehicle fell from the sixth floor of center's parking building earlier in the year.

The second accident, which resulted in no injuries, occurred when a driver lost control of his vehicle and rolled backwards, smashing through a meter-high wall in the parking building.

Buildings yet to be declared safe

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Eighty percent of about 700 buildings more than eight floors high in Jakarta are yet to receive mandatory safety clearances, an official said Tuesday.

"Many building management teams are unaware of the regulation concerning the safety and appropriateness certificate ... as the regulation is relatively new," head of the Building Order and Supervision Agency, Hari Sasongko, said.

A gubernatorial decree issued in 2000 stipulates that all buildings more than eight floors high must have the clearance to ensure the safety of occupants.

However, the decree does not specify any sanctions to be handed down to those in violation of the law.

Hari said all building management teams should enlist in the help of experts to check the safety of buildings regularly.

The gubernatorial decree authorizes the Building Order and Supervision Agency to issue the certificates, which are valid for a five-year period. The certificates are issued when buildings are proven to meet official safety requirements, including the appropriateness of building installations.

Every six months building management teams are also required to report on the condition of their buildings to the agency, Hari said.

The agency recently closed down parking areas at ITC Permata Hijau and at the Carrefour branch of Ratu Plaza, both in South Jakarta, due to poor safety levels.

At ITC Permata Hijau, the agency found that the barriers on the spiral ramp in the parking lot were only made of brick, not steel frames as required.

The Ratu Plaza building management team did not provide enough power for all installations to operate in the basement area, where the Carrefour hypermart is located.

"Test results showed that only one of the installation systems could be switched on. For example, if they switched on the ventilation system, they would have to turn off the fire alarm system. This is not right," Hari said.

He said the agency had a limited number of officers, making it impossible to check all buildings in the city.

"We hope people inform us if there is anything wrong with a building in the city," he said.

However, many people have complained about the extent to which the agency allegedly abuses its power. Instead of enforcing the rules, they have been accused of extorting building owners in the past. (tif)

Govt reports mall management

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post): The Building Order and Supervision Agency reported PT Ratu Sayang International, building operators of Ratu Plaza shopping center, to Tanah Abang Police on Monday.

Head of the agency's evaluation and order division, Gatot Supangkat, said Ratu Sayang broke a chain and a padlock the agency had used to seal the plaza parking area in the basement of the building.

"The building operators do not have the right to break the seal for any reason. They should have left the area closed until we finished our work," Gatot told reporters at the police station.

The administration sealed the basement last Thursday to evaluate the building, where an ongoing ventilation problem last week hospitalized 19 store employees with carbon monoxide poisoning.

All buildings to self-audit energy efficiency: New law

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With an aim of securing energy supplies, the government is drafting a regulation on energy conservation that is expected to push commercial and industrial building management to start saving energy voluntarily, an official said.

The head of the energy conservation sub-directorate at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Indarti, said Tuesday the draft mandated an energy manager to audit total energy usage for all buildings and report it to the ministry every six months.

"An energy manager must know total energy waste for the building. The ministry will scrutinize it and give recommendations so buildings and plants can save energy without decreasing productivity."

The recommendations will vary with buildings' energy infrastructure in terms of cost implications, she added.

Indarti said the ministry wouldn't require reports from buildings that used only a small amount of energy.

The draft is expected to be completed next year, she said.

At present, energy audit responsibilities fall wholly on government. So far this year the ministry has examined energy usage at 68 buildings and 132 plants. Next year, when the energy audit budget drops to Rp 4 billion (US$431,732) from a current Rp 22 billion, it will examine only 16 buildings and 28 plants.

Tunggul Sirait of the Indonesian Electricity Society said the government would set up a national energy board to promote energy conservation. It will be chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and include representatives from industry and universities, as well as technological experts, he said.

The board is mandated by a 2007 national energy law -- Law 30 -- intended to provide a framework for conservation and renewable energy.

Conservation, according to managing director of electricity management company PT Schneider Indonesia Eddy Tjahja, was the most efficient way to ensure that energy would be there when needed.

"We can save by up to 35 percent of total energy consumption if we use electricity efficiently," he said.

Some industries, including textiles and hospitality, say they have been using special devices and monitoring their utility bills to help conserve energy since electricity costs went up in 2006. (adt)

Agency targets dangerous parking lots

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city property control and management agency said Friday it would inspect the construction of all parking buildings in the capital, following a car accident in a shopping center in South Jakarta.

"We will inspect all parking garages in Jakarta to check if they meet building requirements for wall construction, as stipulated in a 2007 agency decree," agency head Hari Sasongko said.

He said the decree stipulated that walls in parking buildings must be resistant to collision as well as able to rigidly support structures.

Before the decree was issued, he said, developers were permitted to disregard the resistance factor.

The planned inspections come about following a car accident at the Permata Hijau International Trade Center in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, on Thursday afternoon.

In the accident, the driver of a sedan, on the fourth floor of the shopping center parking garage, allegedly lost control and the car rolled backward, smashing through a one-meter-high wall on the spiral ramp, Warta Kota daily reported Friday.

Half of the car protruded from the car park, balanced four stories up, and sending a shower of debris smashing into the windshield of a sport utility vehicle below.

The accident, which did not result in injuries, was the second of its kind after a similar incident May 17 that killed a family of three, when their car plummeted from the sixth floor of the same parking garage.

No official statement has been released by the building management.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said such accidents would not have occured if developers complied with safety standards, and the building's construction was as stipulated in the license issued by the agency.

"It's OK to change designs to cut costs, as long as the changes do not result in safety hazards," he said at City Hall.

"Like a mule, they did not learn from their mistakes," he said referring to the shopping center management.

Earlier, the agency's head of building planning and monitoring, Widyo Dwiyono, said the trade complex building management had met all safety standards, as laid out in a 1991 bylaw on building construction.

After the first incident, however, the agency issued a new decree and has since sent two warning letters to the building management, requiring it to upgrade and reconstruct the walls to be resistant to collisions.

The agency inspected the building in September and found only the damage caused in the previous accident had been repaired to engineering standards set in the decree, Hari said.

"We asked them at the time why they had not applied the new engineering standards to all the walls," he said, but "they said the minor repairs were a model and they were still looking for tenders to complete the work".

"Apparently, the accident occurred before a suitable construction company was found."

Hari said the 1991 bylaw gives the agency authority to freeze the building management's licenses if they fail to address the problem.

"We'll freeze the management's operating licenses if they do not explain everything by next Monday or Tuesday at the latest," he said.

The suspension, he said, would be effective until the management fulfilled all design requirements detailed in the decree.

Elevator accident injures four

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Four people were injured when an elevator in Ratu Plaza, Central Jakarta, fell from the second to the first floor Friday.

The injured people where all employees in the building. They were evacuated from the lift two hours after it initially fell when one of the victims managed to call a colleague for help using his cell phone.

One of the victims, Heru, said he fell unconscious after the elevator crashed six meters down to the first floor.

"After I gained consciousness, I immediately called my colleague," he said, as quoted by Detik.com.

Police said they were investigating the incident and had questioned several people, including the building's security staff.

Kumala, a building management staff member, said the elevator was serviced by an outside company.

"We still have no idea what caused this accident."