Minister: Women’s role in water management ignored

Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/26/2010 6:24 PM

Women have a major role in water management and conservation, but are often excluded from the effort, a minister says.

Women could help conserve, recycle and save water during shortages in Indonesia, said Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar at a water conservation workshop in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Women could teach their children about the importance of protecting the environment and the maintaining the ecosystem’s balance, Linda said.

“That’s why women’s participation in environmental conservation is highly significant,” she added.

Firdaus Ali, a water expert for the University of Indonesia, said that a large part of Indonesia’s water supply is used domestically and that women were responsible for two-thirds of home water use.

Semarang's old city: A fading reminder of former glories

Simon Marcus Gower, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Semarang | Fri, 03/27/2009 2:27 PM

Unique design: The Marba building is a quite unique design but has only sparing usage. (JP/Simon Marcus Gower)

Semarang, one of the oldest cities in the country, was the place of residence for a Dutch provincial governor in colonial times. As the provincial capital of Central Java, with a very active port, it grew into a major city busy with trade and administrative importance.

The city's commercial and administrative significance required a level of infrastructure that could support its role. This led to the development of what is now the "old city" of Semarang and its impressive buildings. Although many of these buildings are left now neglected and wasting away, they still remind us of the former glories of this city.

One of Semarang's most outstanding buildings and, fortunately, one of its best kept, is Gereja Blenduk. Built in 1753, this imposing building still stands shimmering brilliantly white in the hot sun. Despite being the oldest church in Central Java, it is still actively used as a Protestant Church - it is probably this continuing use that has allowed the building to survive in condition so much better than that of some of its neighbors.

The church is rather plain on the outside, but its solid design and construction have no doubt helped it survive the years. It principal outward feature is its dome - hence the name (gereja meaning church and blenduk meaning dome). Inside, plainness and simplicity remain the order of the day, meaning that, although very imposing, the church is not really captivating to the eye.

Overgrown: Fine buildings, located down narrow streets, are being left to rot. (JP/Simon Marcus Gower)

Rather more visually interesting is the office building opposite the church, which has also been fortunate to have survived in relatively good condition. With its 1920s art-deco geometric designs and balconies, this building, now the offices of Jiwasraya Assurance, offers more to the viewer to admire.

This office building is still in active use but it has lost some of its charm to modern alterations - such a modern front entrance doorway of plate glass and aluminum that is functional but not attractive or in keeping with the original design of the building. But despite such limitations in current appearance and use, the Jiwasraya Building and the church really are doing well, considering what else may be seen in this area.

Just down the road from these two buildings is the Marba Building which, with its red bricks contrasting with stone mullions and a corner entrance that is topped by four (still intact) stone vases, is full of character. It is, however, a building sparingly used and is evidently not awarded the respect it deserves.

Street vendors clutter its sidewalk and its paintwork and woodwork obviously need maintenance. Windows are shuttered up and once attractive and useful street canopies have been shoddily replaced and are left sagging. Although the Marba Building looks bad, its partial use is at least saving it to a certain extent; elsewhere, neglect is leaving fine buildings in ruins.

What is known as the PT Perkebunan Building looks over a fairly filthy canal. This example of solid Dutch building stands empty and quite terribly neglected. The street in front of it is busy with minibuses and hawkers but it stands forlorn, its large tower so neglected that small trees grow from it.

Large and commanding though it is, daylight breaks into its rooms through broken and collapsed roofs. Its steps have become home to a peculiar gathering of traditional masseurs who offer their services in the cooling shadow of this great building, their customers lying half-naked along the sidewalk - neither an auspicious or respectful sight to adorn its great but pollution-stained walls.

Standing tall: Mighty and bold buildings are quite wretchedly ignored
(JP/Simon Marcus Gower)

These are just a few: All around this area are wretched examples of good and even great buildings just being allowed to rot and fall away. Even though many of the buildings here were originally of simple and modest use, they still consistently possessed (and possess to this day) interesting designs and high levels of quality and craftsmanship in their construction.

What would have been quite simple warehouses for storing the vast amounts of goods being traded through Semarang's busy port show inventiveness and flourishes of decorative design that can, and should, be appreciated. But tragically such excellent buildings are being left to be overrun by nature.

One of these buildings has a tree taking root all over it and those roots are literally squeezing and crushing the building's stone to such an extent that it is simply crumbling away. Elsewhere trees and shrubs grow from ledges or cornices on upper levels of buildings, stark evidence of how terribly the buildings are simply being left to the elements.

This truly sorry sight represents a terrible waste and lack of foresight and investment. The quality of the buildings here could allow the area to be a real center of attraction. It is not too difficult to imagine stylish restaurants and trendy boutiques taking up residence in these fine buildings but this would require will and investment from city planners and developers.

It is impossible to walk through the narrow streets that are created by some fine buildings in Semarang's old city and not think "if only. if only". There are such appealing and even delightful architectural details to be seen here that their gradual loss to the elements really is a great loss. Vines and moss creep and crawl all over buildings and ferns grow remarkably well where they really should not be growing - in holes and damage to the brickwork of these buildings.

With just a modicum of imagination and effort, eye-catching shutters on windows could be repaired and painted again. Blackened white walls could be cleaned and repainted so that they shimmer and shine again in Semarang's brilliant sunlight. The damage here is considerable and time may be running out for some of these buildings, although it is not yet too late.

Bunkers, stones, structures listed as protected heritage

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 03/20/2009 1:10 PM

BOGOR: A team of archeologists listed four bunkers, three stones with round-shaped holes (batu dakon) and two terrace structures (punden berundak) in three separate locations in Bogor municipality as protected heritage earlier this month.

Senior archeologist Prof. Uka Tjandrasasmita, Lutfi Yondri from the Bandung Archeology House, Hasan Djafar from the University of Indonesia, and Zakaria Kasimin from the Heritage Conservation House in Banten, reached their decision after examining the artifacts over a 10-day period.

Uka said the bunkers, located in Batu Tulis subdistrict, were built between 1939 and 1941 under the Dutch colonial administration and served as defense strongholds against Japanese troops.

The stones found in Empang and Pasir Jaya subdistricts, as well as the terrace structures in Pasir Mulya subdistrict are from the megalithic era.

All the artifacts are protected under a 1992 law on cultural heritage protection.- JP

Old Town project moves at snail’s pace

Agnes Winarti, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Mon, 02/16/2009 11:33 AM 

 

A 2,800-square-meter reddish-brown building stands tall on the corner of Jl. Kali Besar Timur in the Old Town, West Jakarta, despite the bruises brought by aging.

 

Peeping inside, one is captivated  by rays of sunlight passing through its vast space, as most of the building’s roof has vanished. A huge tree has been the building’s sole occupant over the past 30 years.

“Please see the sign. You can not enter without the owner’s permission,” Rohadi, the building’s keeper  told a group of curious youngsters who were just about to step inside.

“I am planning to renovate the roof soon. For safety reasons, I do not permit visitors to enter,” Ella Ubaidi, owner of the two-story building, said on Saturday.

Another roofless building next to Ella’s houses a small group of the homeless people, who have built shelters made of plywood inside.

There are some 50 category A   (over 50-years-old, of historical value and having a rare architectural design) and B (over 50-years-old) buildings in the Old Town area, but only two are undergoing renovation.

Some 70 percent of the buildings are owned by state enterprises, including Bank Mandiri and the Indonesian Trade Center.

Teguh Atmoko, an architecture and spatial planning adviser of the Jakarta Old Town association, told The Jakarta Post that heritage building conservation could cost up to Rp 5 million (US$425) per square meter (sqm).

Restoration of old buildings requires special, construction materials, which are costly.

In order to attract building owners to invest in the conservation, Teguh and Ella said the administration must build the basic infrastructure and ensure safety, public order, sanitation and orderly transportation in the area.

”I am aware that it is not the time to look for who’s to blame. But the basic infrastructure is clearly not sufficient. Illegal parking, unruly public transport, the smelly canal, wandering bums and thugs are all problems,” Ella said.

“The administration has focused only on cosmetic appearance, such as installing lamps and planting trees, while we [owners] expect social and economic improvement of the area,” she added.

Teguh said integrated policy to revitalize Old Town was important. For example, he said, the Kali Besar river had not been dredged for years, but the administration had began restoring it embankment.

“The pavement stones along Jl. Pintu Besar were constructed higher than the buildings along the street. The administration never consulted with the experts in the conservation team,” he said.    

Teguh added that the ownership of some 30 percent of the buildings was in dispute. 

Last year, Teguh completed a guideline for the function of buildings in Old Town. The guideline proposed the ground floor of the buildings be used for commercial purposes such as restaurants and shops, while the upper level be used for hotels and residences. 

Ella said she had appointed a keeper to clean her property, which decades ago functioned as a warehouse for tea products.

“There are still a lot of things to be done to revitalize the Old Town. We are moving towards that, slowly,” Teguh said.

 

“It is still better than not moving at all, though,” he added.

Villagers Give Back 2.150 Majapahit Ancient Bricks

Tuesday, 10 February, 2009 | 19:38 WIB

 

TEMPO Interactive, Mojokerto:Klinterejo villagers in Mojokerto yesterday returned at least 2.150 bricks originating from the ancient Majapahit Kingdom. The bricks were put back to where they were initially found.

 

According to Klinterejo village chief, Zainal Abidin, the villagers found the 20 x 35 centimeter bricks four years ago when they dug the village land. Since then, the land has been rented out for brick production.

 

Besides preserving the ancient bricks, around 20 Klinterejo villagers yesterday dug out more bricks in two locations just 150 meters away. In the three-hectare area where the Majapahit site is located, delicately sculptured old bricks forming a one-meter gate were found.

 

Besides the bricks, the villagers recently found at least eight ancient stone statues in the village bordering the Trowulan sub district. Zainal said there are still 7.000 more bricks that have not been returned by the villagers, 6.000 of which belong to the Roudlotul Ulum Islamic Boarding School.

 

While awaiting the arrival of the Yogyakarta National Archeological Research and Development Center experts to conduct a research, the ancient stones are stored at the Bre Kahuripan Site, locating only 100 meter from where the bricks were found.

 

An official from East Java Antiquities and Relics Conservation Agency (BP3), Aris Sovyani, said the government, through the BP3, will lease the land required for the research at Klinterejo. “Based on the recommendations of State Minister of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, we will lease the area so the findings can be preserved,” Aris said, contacted by Tempo.

 

Aris also said that BP3 officials will start measuring the land area tomorrow.

 

KTHI HM

Related Article:

Govt ruined Majapahit artifacts

Romance, serenity at the Water Palace

Retno K. Djojo, The Jakarta Post, Thu, 01/22/2009 1:48 PM 

Culture: A view over the ponds of the Soekasada water palace, with the garden compound in the background. (JP/Retno K. Djojo)
 

If you're hungering for a taste of history, art and culture, you will get a good dose in Karangasem regency, in the eastern part of Bali, which is rich in examples of the island's cultural heritage. 

Taman Soekasada or "The Water Palace" in Ujung is one of Bali's finest such cultural treasures. 

It is, in short, an astounding architectural and cultural jewel not to be missed. 

The 12-hectare water palace complex some 5 kilometers south of Amlapura, the capital of Karangasem, is ringed by an ornate fence. 

The three big pavilions float on a serene lotus pond, connected by bridges, creating an intriguing and romantic atmosphere. 

The palace was designed and constructed under the patronage and protection of Karangasem's last king, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karang Asem, in 1926. 

The late ruler, a learned and well-traveled man, modeled Soekasada on the Versailles Palace in France. 

It was originally intended as a meeting place and guesthouse for delegates of the Dutch government and dignitaries of other countries visiting tropical Bali.

 

Serenity: The still waters of a lotus pond in the Soekasada water palace, East Bali, surround one of the pavilions. (JP/Retno K. Djojo)

The wide windows of the pavilions look over the palace waters, testimony to the late ruler's passion for harmonizing nature and art. As a culturalist with an international perspective, he blended traditional motifs with modern materials, and balanced Western-style geometry with a Balinese sense of place and symbolism. To ensure his cultural vision materialized, he personally oversaw work at the construction site. 

A visit is memorable: Take in the exotic blend of western and Middle Eastern architectural styles enlivened with intricated Balinese carvings, or stroll under the Middle Eastern flavored archways held up by elegant Italian columns, or pause a moment in a walkway shaded by frangipangi and mango trees. 

The highest point in the park affords a marvelous view over the distant Lombok Strait and the lush green hills of Mt. Rinjani in Lombok. The view north is a breathtaking panorama of rice terraces set against the backdrop of the mighty Mt. Agung. 

Soekasada sustained severe damage during the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963 and the earthquake in 1975. 

Because of the future of Bali's rich art and cultural heritage lies in its past, intensive restoration work was carried out from 2000 to 2004 by members of the Karang Asem court. 

Thanks to these efforts, one of Bali's finest examples of its cultural heritage has been saved. 

Heritage building in Tangerang rescued by private home buyer

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:09 AM 

 

Two heritage houses at Karawaci, Tangerang, on the verge of being demolished have been bought by a private citizen, escaping their final blow.

 

But whether the complex remains open to the public still remains to be seen.

 

The land where the houses sit has not been bought, so the building will be restored at another location. The time-line for restoration has not been fixed because a relocation site has not been purchased yet.

 

The houses were partly dismantled by the house contractors, who sold the ruins to antique traders when the purchase was made.

 

"The dismantlement of the houses stopped Dec. 16 and will continue mid-January. The parts will be stored at a warehouse in Bekasi (West Java) until then," Andipo Wiratama, a member of a volunteer group Citizens Care for Heritage Buildings (Walibatu) told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

 

The houses will be dismantled in January according to standard procedures to prepare for resembling at the new site chosen by the owner. This requires a detailed, scaled floor plan and the establishment of a common coding system for the different parts.

 

The buyer, who refused to be identified, bought the buildings, but not the land. He said he would try to retrieve the sold items.

 

"The houses are now in the new buyer's hands. We are unsure if he will really rebuild the houses," Andipo said.

 

"We wanted to keep the houses at their original location, but we could not strike a deal with the seller and the buyer. From our point of view, we failed."

 

The group found out about the demolition last month and alerted architects, historians, the media and the Tangerang administration.

 

Although the group received support from the public, the Tangerang administration did not respond to the petition they submitted last month.

 

Budi Lim, an architect who cares about heritage buildings, said the deal was a necessary compromise.

 

"It was the best to keep the houses at their original place, but it was very hard to do, time was pressing," he said.

 

He said he had been in contact with the new owner, who seemed determined to rebuild the house at similar location, preferably in the same neighborhood.

 

Budi, who was involved in the preservation of the National Archive Museum and the revitalization of the Old Town, will be involved in the recording and dismantling process.

 

"The house will be restored using the same construction technique with many of the old materials, such as the bricks and roof tiles. If more materials are needed, we will find parts from the same era so they will be similar," he said.

 

"Of course we will install modern electrical wiring and safety measures to the house," he added.

 

He said restoration was possible, just like what was done to restore the 300-year-old National Archives Building in Central Jakarta, which won the UNESCO Award of Excellence.

 

Experts will conduct archaeological, social and historical studies as part of the preservation effort.

 

"I don't know where the funding will come from, but these steps must be taken. Conservation is not only about buildings, but about the whole environment. We need to study the history of the area and potential impacts," he said.

 

"We have to have certain value and ethics *in carrying out preservation efforts*.

 

"It is not romanticism, but a responsibility to future generations."

Unprotected Chinese, Indisch buildings razed in Tangerang

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Sun, 12/07/2008 10:48 AM 

 

Two buildings dating back over 100 years on the bank of the Cisadane river in Karawaci, Tangerang, have been demolished despite outcry from heritage preservation groups that the houses have high architectural and cultural value.

 

On Saturday morning the right wing of the Chinese house and part of the main building were already in ruins with the other sections to come down in coming weeks.

 

An Indisch-style building adjacent to the Chinese house now awaits the same fate, as the buyer has made arrangements to sell-off sections of it to collectors in Bali and Pondok Gede, East Jakarta.

 

The current owners of the properties, built in approximately the 18th century and belonging once to Chinese Lieutenant Oei Djie San, are selling the plot and the buildings separately. The land is said to be worth Rp 22 billion (US$1.6 million).

 

Safii, the contractor who bought the buildings, told The Jakarta Post he paid a total of around Rp 750 million to the owner to cover the cost of removing the building parts.

 

"I have sold three trucks worth of parts to two buyers in Bali and Pondok Gede (East Jakarta)," he said.

 

He said after a meeting this Wednesday he would decide when he would destroy the remaining sections.

 

The land is said to be more than 2 hectares in size and has apparently been sold to another buyer.

 

"I heard that it was sold for Rp 22 billion," he said.

 

He allegedly overheard the buyer mention the name McDonald, and that the plot would be turned into an apartment complex.

 

The owner was nowhere to be found at the building site on Saturday. The Post received confirmation from Rodiawati, a resident who has lived in the buildings for decades, that the property had indeed been sold.

 

"The house belongs to my husband's ex-bosses' family - the Nubrata family. They let us stay here for free," she said. Rodiawati said they would now be forced to leave.

 

Budi Lim, a well-known architect involved in the restoration of the National Archive Museum in Jakarta, said both buildings had architectural value due to the unique blend of foreign and local influences in the design.

 

"Indisch-style has Dutch influence, but also local flavors. The style was then replicated in other colonial territories like Sri Lanka," he said. "The Chinese home might have common Chinese architectural features, but the value is in the local adaptation of Cina Benteng culture, who centered their activity around rivers."

 

He said the Chinese home was special because it had a veranda overlooking the Cisadane river. Such a design was unheard of and could be related to the history of Cina Benteng in Tangerang. Cina Benteng is a Chinese community whose ancestors were peranakan Chinese Indonesians and mostly rubber plantation workers.

 

Mahandis Yoanata, a private employee from Jakarta who studies heritage buildings, wrote in his blog mahandisyoanata.multiply.com that papers he found describe how the buildings were part of a rubber plantation during the colonial era.

 

His article and accompanying pictures of the buildings drew dozens of comments from those sharing his concern about their demolition.

 

He told the Post he planned on launching a petition and taking it to the Tangerang municipality, but later found out the buildings were not protected by any laws.

 

Warta Kota daily reported Saturday that the Tangerang municipality not only had no laws to protect the Karawaci buildings, but in fact had no laws in place to protect any heritage buildings.

 

"We have never met with the heirs of the buildings," the head of the Tangerang tourism agency, Hendarsyah Reza, said to Warta Kota. He said if there were any buildings with historical value being demolished, the administration was powerless to do anything.

 

Lim, however, called for the administration to intervene despite the absence of a law.

 

"The building is being *raped', we cannot just stand by and say *what a pity'," Lim said. "It is not too late. This must be a community effort."

 

"There are so many people who get rich by doing business in Tangerang. It is time to urge them to give something back by chipping in to buy out the buildings and restore them. I am willing to work for free during the restoration," he said.

 

"Although they appear Chinese and Dutch, essentially the styles were already adapted to the local culture. They are examples of Indonesian architecture. We have a duty to preserve them for future generations."

Unprecedented palace remodeling job wraps up in Yogyakarta

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

A special team of experts in charge of preparing a detailed engineering design for the reconstruction of earthquake-damaged Trajumas hall at the Yogyakarta Palace has completed its job.

The hall, made mostly of teak, was leveled by the powerful 2006 earthquake

"We are ready to submit our report soon to our funding institution, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), to be forwarded to the Palace," leader of the team Yuwono Sri Suwito told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

The devastating May 27, 2006 quake that damaged parts of the Yogyakarta Palace heritage compound also killed nearly 6,000 people and damaged hundreds of thousands of other buildings in Yogyakarta and parts of Central Java.

Trajumas hall, an open building measuring some 20 by 24 meters near Srimanganti hall, was among the most severely damaged facilities at the palace, with only white ceramic floor tiles and 20 building foundations locally known as umpak remaining.

"The wreckage has been carefully removed and stored for reconstruction," another member of the team, architect and heritage activist Laretna T Adishakti, said.

The Trajumas hall itself used to be the place where courtiers entertained important guests. It was located across from Srimanganti hall where the sultan himself used to receive guests.

The building is believed to be at least as old as the palace, which was built in 1756 by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I.

Following a damage assessment, UGM formed a team comprising of 15 experts from different fields, including anthropologists, archeologists, architects and civil engineers, for planning and carrying out the reconstruction.

Yuwono, who is also chairman of the Yogyakarta Provincial Cultural Council, said his team needs over a year to complete the design, especially due to the complexity of the building and lack of information about the original.

"We worked very, very carefully as we want it rebuilt exactly as it was," Yuwono explained.

The team also strongly recommends that the reconstruction of the building not be entrusted to builders on a tight schedule.

"What we need are artisans with the relevant expertise and skills whose are willing to schedule around work, not vice versa. They have to work under the close supervision of the Palace," said Yuwono.

"Everything must be done very, very carefully without any hurry. Otherwise, we will never be able to rebuild it exactly the way it was," said Yuwono.

In terms of construction, he said, the re-building task was complicated and unprecedented.

The team, for example, found joining systems between different parts of the building never encountered before.

"We are proposing that there should be a copyright for the specific construction design of this building. I think it is a blessing from the earthquake," he said.

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)