Poor sanitation worsens urban, health problems

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As a city riddled with sanitation-related diseases such as diarrhea and dengue fever, the Jakarta administration needs to start working with the public, private companies and non-governmental organizations to build a better sanitation system, an expert has said.

According to Basah Hernowo, head of community housing at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), Jakarta has the money and can afford the technology to provide proper sanitation to its residents by 2015 as targeted in the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

"What lacking is the will," he said.

"What they should do is fund NGOs so they can help educate the public about sanitation and then work with the private sector to build proper sanitation systems, like a sewerage system."

With virtually no sewerage system or waste treatment plants, most of Jakarta's liquid waste is left to flow downriver to the sea or is kept in septic tanks.

There are more than a million septic tanks in Jakarta, which has a population of almost 10 million people.

"And if they still say that they can't (put a sanitation system in place), then what reasons left are there?" he asked during the recent National Sanitation Conference.

The conference brought together more than a hundred experts and officials from all over Indonesia and the world to discuss possible solutions to the country's sanitation problems in anticipation of 2008, which has been declared the Year of Sanitation by the United Nations.

One of the UN's related resolutions is to reach 73 percent public access to sanitation by 2015.

Basah said the people who showed up to the conference were concerned about the environment and those who didn't were indifferent to the problem.

"What the city needs to realize is that sanitation is one of the main causes of poverty. Sick people, especially those with a daily income, can not make money to get themselves out of their situation. It's no wonder there are so many poor people in Jakarta," he added.

According to the 2004 National Social Economic Survey, 12 percent of the population in Indonesia's bigger cities does not have access to toilets. A third of those who have access use facilities that are not connected to septic tanks or equipped with water faucets, located instead on rivers.

Around 70 percent of the water in Indonesia's cities is contaminated with domestic waste, with 78 percent of Jakarta's river deemed polluted as of 2006, according to data provided by the administration.

The water is contaminated with E. coli bacteria and other harmful organisms that can cause diarrhea, dengue fever and typhoid.

Diarrhea kills more than 100,000 children every year in Indonesia. As of July, more than 11,000 diarrhea cases have been recorded, attributed to the prevailing unhealthy lifestyle and poor sanitation. In some areas, the disease is so common that it is classified as an "extraordinary occurrence".

Dengue fever is also an ongoing problem in Jakarta with more 29,000 cases and 81 deaths reported this year. April has been the worst month so far, with 5,133 cases reported.(anw)

Tenganan residents use micro-hydro power plant

Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

The Tenganan, one of the oldest Balinese indigenous groups, have long been renowned as the guardians of the island's environment by consistently applying their traditional wisdom.

Living in Tenganan village, which is situated on the rich and fertile lands of Karangasem regency, some 100 kilometers east of Denpasar, the Tenganan have successfully retained their traditional way of life.

Made Suarnatha, director of the Wisnu Foundation, said the foundation had helped the people of Tenganan develop their own hydro-electric power plant by utilizing the water-rich Buhu River.

Supported by the Global Environmental Facilities (GEF), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and the state-owned electricity company PT PLN, the village now has a micro-hydro power plant capable of producing around 12,000 watts (12 KW) during the dry season and 22,000 during rainy season.

"This is a type of community-based electricity power plant that could be applied in other remote villages on the island," said Wayan Redika, spokesperson of PT PLN's Bali office.

The company, he said, was not able to provide electricity for all, therefore empowering villages was the key to ensuring people could rely on a self-generated electricity supply.

Since Tenganan people do not need as much electricity as their counterparts in urban areas, the provision of between 12 kilowatts to 22 kilowatts of electricity is more than enough for these modest people.

"We use the electricity to operate our rice mill, which used to be powered by diesel fuel," said Tenganan's village chief.

The diesel-powered mill, he said, required 20 liters of fuel per hour to process rice husks.

By using the electricity, the people of Tenganan can save hundreds of thousands of rupiah a day. More importantly, the new technology is more environmentally friendly.

"The local people can also sell electricity to PT PLN at Rp 420 per kwh. This means they can generate money from the micro-hydro power plant," Suarnatha said, adding investment for the plant amounted to around Rp 600 million.

The Wisnu Foundation has been involved in various community-based activities that empower villagers to be economically independent. The foundation has become a development partner for four villages: Tenganan and Sibetan in Karangasem regency, Plaga in Badung regency and Nusa Penida in Klungkung.

"The difference is the involvement of the community in managing this power plant, which will become their economic wheel," Suarnatha said.

Integrated high-rise residences becoming a trend

Nirwono Joga, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Apartments are ideal for commuters working in the center of a city as they can return to their homes within the city limits without having to worry too much about traffic jams or the lack of reliable public transportation, all of which have an impact on productivity, energy and costs.

Global warming, various environmental hazards and the unhealthy condition of the city have spurred developers to build residences that are environmentally friendly. Land limitations in the city and the need of residences within the city have also propelled the growth of integrated high-rise residences. Traffic conditions in the city have prompted developers to build integrated areas called superblocks (mixed-use areas) in strategic locations.

Superblocks consisting of apartments, hotels, offices, malls, schools form a landscape of a modern and grand city within a city. Apart from the architectural appearance, the other plus points are the facilities available, the social value and the environment offered.

Superblocks offer integrated one-stop services for every daily need. Residents are pampered with all sorts of facilities, such as star-rated hotel, school of international standard, world-class hospital, exclusive offices and a mall. Residents can reach their destinations either by foot or bicycle along wide paths surrounded by shade trees and beautiful parks. They never have to worry about traffic. The air is fresh and they can save time and energy.

They can also keep fit by doing simple exercise, like jogging. They also get ample opportunity to interact with other people living there and the environment.

They do not have to waste energy on traveling to and from the office or to school or the mall. The saved time can be used for sports, recreation or spending more time with family, which has become a rare luxury in this metropolis with its hectic lifestyle.

Gandaria City in the heart of South Jakarta is one such integrated residential area. The apartment block is called Gandaria Heights, the office tower is Gandaria 8, the mall is Gandaria Main Street and there is a star-rated hotel.

The integrated concept here provides easy and convenient access for residents to reach their destinations in a very short time so that they have plenty of time for activities with their families, which is very valuable, said Ivy Wong, chief business development manager of the Pakuwon Group, the developer of Gandaria City.

Superblocks give many advantages to the city. The purpose of superblocks is to provide a better and healthier life and to provide basic needs by making available a large number of facilities, such as workplaces, schools, public space and a clean environment. Such a place will most certainly thrive economically.

No city can grow economically if it is not healthy for its residents. Therefore, it is imperative that the city administration along with developers create an ideal spatial plan. It is all a matter of cooperation between property developers, the city administration and residents in adhering strictly to the set regulations on spatial planning.

A superblock, to be environmentally friendly, has to have a balance between the land used and green spaces. While the rest of the city is congested, noisy, polluted and grim, the superblock itself is the total opposite by being environmentally friendly and green.

The green spaces in superblocks separate each building in attractive, harmonized landscaping. The presence of large shade trees, grass, pools, fountains, playgrounds, jogging track, tennis court, driving range is a must to attract apartment buyers.

Developers and residents can collectively make the best use of the clean water available and the processing of liquid waste, the use and saving of electricity by utilizing other forms of energy, such as solar, biogas or wind and process waste by 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) and turn it into biogas, and other waste into handicrafts.

To solve the problem of clean water and flooding, developers should build absorption pits to catch water generally and rainwater in large amounts.

Developing superblocks is a logical answer to addressing the needs of residences in a city that lacks land. It is also a solution to the degradation of the city's environment and its worsening traffic. The development of superblocks in itself is a grand idea to make the metropolis more comfortable and efficient to live in.

A superblock must be able to enhance its environment by having a large number of trees to absorb CO2, pollutant gas and increase water absorption. Developers should also enhance the social aspects and functions by improving design and accessibility and creating a friendly environment.

Along with the construction of transportation infrastructure that is comfortable, efficient and environmentally friendly, like the busway, as well as the construction of shaded footpaths, it is expected that access to superblocks will be easier. Both residents and visitors can use the public transportation, which will reduce the use of private cars and save energy, plus it is environmentally friendly. Developers, therefore, would not have to make available large parking lots that often take up open, green space, but establish beautiful parks instead.

Superblocks are indeed a promising development that offer a better lifestyle, as in Gandaria City and other superblocks in a number of major cities.

Above everything else, who would not want to live in a city within a city that offers the highest level of comfort, easy access, free from traffic jams, is environmentally friendly, has complete facilities and offers a healthy and pollution-free life?

The writer is a specialist in architectural issues.