Poor people in Penjaringan struggle for clean water

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 02/27/2009 2:29 PM

Cash and carry: Four women stand in an alley, waiting for their buckets to fill up with water in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Tuesday. Residents in the area have to buy clean water from water vendors due to the absence of reliable tap water. (JP/Hasyim Widhiarto)

As clean water is scarce in coastal areas in North Jakarta, residents have no choice but to do almost anything to get it.

Pariyah, 30, a resident from community unit (RW) 12 in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, said she had to buy clean water from vendors for her family's daily activities.

"Everyday, I need at least 12 jerricans of clean water to wash clothes, cook and for drinking," Pariyah, who lives with 14 relatives in a two-story house with a corrugated steel roof, told The Jakarta Post recently.

"I have to spend between Rp 150,000 (US$12.60) and Rp 200,000 each month for clean water."

Pariyah, whose father and husband work as pedicab driver, said spending money on water had become an inevitable burden for her poor family.

"My father and my husband only get money if they work.

"If they don't have any money, I usually skip washing the clothes to save clean water," said Pariyah, who has spent all her life in the area.

Darsih, another resident, said she bought clean water from vendors for washing.

"For cooking and drinking, I prefer to buy refilled mineral water," said the 48-year-old mother, adding that she usually spent Rp 60,000 per month on water.

Living near the city's coastline, Penjaringan residents have a long-standing problem of access to clean water.

The residents used to rely on shallow groundwater, but they stopped using it because many wells turned salty due to seawater intrusion and industrial waste contamination.

"It is almost impossible to get clean water from groundwater wells around here," said Cahyono, another resident.

"Several years ago, the city administration gave us a hydrant, but the water is still salty and looks murky, even though we dug 210 meters below the ground level," he said.

Residents face more difficulties now as many coastal areas have no access to tap water.

On the record: An officer installs a water meter at a hydrant in Penjaringan, North Jakarta. (Courtesy Mercy Corps Indonesia)

Only 34 percent of 1,300 families living in RW 12 are part of the tap water system run by PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja).

Almost all residents in the area have ended up buying water from vendors, paying Rp 1,500 for six jerricans, or 120 liters. Residents store the clean water in dozens of jerricans in front of their houses.

Some residents who live near the main alley channel water from nearest pipe hydrants, owned by several residents, to their buckets using hoses.

They pay hydrant owners Rp 5,000 for a 30-minute service.

But, expenditures for water continue to add up.

While vendors have already allocated water for washing and cooking, residents still have to shove deeper into their pockets to pay for toilets and bathing.

"We have to go to public bathhouse to take a bath," said Pariyah, whose house has no toilet, like many residents in the neighborhood.

"We pay Rp 500 or Rp 1,000 per visit, depending on how maintained the bathhouse is," she added.

Vincent Hermanus Pooroe, an activist with US-based NGO Mercy Corps, said people living coastal areas in Jakarta had to allocate significant portions of their income to buy clean water.

"Almost all residents in Penjaringan work as seasonal workers who rely on daily incomes," said Vincent, who has been assisting Penjaringan residents as part of the NGO's water supply program.

"It is strange, poor people have to spend money on clean water, more than the money spent by wealthy families living in other areas of the city," he said.

"Some of the poorest families in the area even collect rainwater so they can save on water expenses," Vincent said, adding that the average income of a family ranged between Rp 1.6 million and Rp 1.7 million per month.

In 1998, city tap water company PAM Jaya signed contracts with private tap water operators from France and the United Kingdom to ensure the city's water supply, with distribution expansion as one of the terms in the contract.

PAM Jaya plans to expand its networks north over the next four years and grant all city residents access to pipe water by 2020.

The existing pipe water installation at Penjaringan is not reliable.

"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," said Supriyanto, 48, a resident who lives in a low-cost apartment in Penjaringan.

"The water often comes out after midnight for around two hours only," said the father of two, who has been living in the apartment since 1997.

Tarman, head of the community unit, said his residents would continue to rely on water vendors and public bathhouses because they refused to spend much money on installing unreliable pipe water.

"Installing pipe water is considered expensive by many people here," he said.

"Moreover, a number of residents make money by providing services to deliver clean water to other residents." (hwa)

Buddhists prefer dialogues to sealing off of Buddha Bar

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 03/06/2009 10:49 AM  

Buddhist organizations deemed the sealing off Thursday of the Buddha Bar in Menteng, Central Jakarta, by Buddhist students as an expression of disappointment, and “not a Buddhist act”.

Alim Sudio, secretary-general of the Indonesian Pandita Sabha Buddha Dharma Foundation, said sealing off the bar was not the Buddhist way of seeking a solution. 

“Our way is never to force anything. A dialogue is needed,” he said.

Buddha bless us: Indonesian Buddhist students rally Thursday outside the Buddha Bar restaurant in Central Jakarta. Around 200 students staged the rally in protest at the bar’s name, saying it defamed their religion, and urged the name to be dropped. (Reuters/Supri)

More than 100 people from the Buddhist Student Alliance sealed off the bar on Jl. Teuku Umar by draping a yellow line across the bar’s entrance in protest at the establishment’s use of the name Buddha.

The protesters said it was a holy name and should not be linked with an entertainment venue like a bar.

Alim said an open dialogue between representatives of Buddhist groups, the government and the bar’s owners had to be arranged.

“The Buddha Bar management also has to be given a chance to have a say,” said the Buddhist priest.

“Sealing off the bar was a move by our friends who wanted the Buddha positioned appropriately,” said Gatot Sukarno Adi, deputy secretary-general of Walubi, the Indonesian federation of Buddhist organizations.

He added the important thing was to arrange a dialogue where both parties did not lose anything.

“We have to find a good solution.”

A dialogue at the House of Representatives had been arranged by the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), but it was not a two-or three-party meeting, he said.

He added the controversy broke out because the government did not notify the Buddhist community before granting permits for the bar.

“The government should have informed us before issuing the permits, to ask whether it was acceptable for us,” Gatot said.

The management of the bar told beritajakarta.com they had secured approval from three different Buddhist groups.

The bar also came under the spotlight after critics raised concerns about the use of the heritage building where the bar is housed.

The city repurchased the old Dutch Immigration Office for Rp 28 billion and renovated it for Rp 6.1 billion in 2005. It promised to transform the building into a “unique venue” where all Jakarta residents could hold activities.

The administration said the bar had an art gallery that the public was welcome to visit, but critics countered that the bar’s clientele was limited to certain groups.

The franchisor of the Buddha Bar is the Paris-based George V Entertainment, which owns a global chain of hotels, spas, restaurants and boutiques. The group uses various names of the Buddha in its Buddha Bar, Siddharta Café, Little Buddha Cafe, and Buddhattitude Spa. (iwp)

Govt to tear down 250 illegal villas in Puncak

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 03/04/2009 4:05 PM

BOGOR: State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said Monday the government would demolish 250 illegal villas in Puncak, West Java, to restore the area as a conservation zone.

The villas, from a total of 5,000 villas in Puncak, were built without permission on protected forest area located 300 meters above sea level.

"I don't care if the villas belong to high-ranking officials. If we find any built without permits, we will tear them down," Rachmat said.

"We will reforest the area to bring return it to its function as a conservation zone."

West Java Deputy Governor Dede Yusuf said the local administration would send warning letters to the villa owners, and if after three warnings they did not respond, the administration would demolish the premises.

Palyja launches program to net new customers

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 03/04/2009 4:05 PM 

 

JAKARTA: City water operator Palyja will start a new program in March to improve its services in the western part of Jakarta.

 

The Census Project 2009, which will run until December, includes investigations, surveys and new connection installments.

 

"Besides investigating illegal consumption and connections, we will also install 25,000 new connections," Palyja vice president director Herawati Prasetyo said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

 

At least 166 officials will be involved in the project. Last year, Palyja had 398,557 customers in the western part of Jakarta.

City to propose draft on new groundwater tariff

Triwik Kurniasari, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Wed, 03/04/2009 9:53 AM

The city administration will soon propose a bylaw raising the groundwater tax to prevent further groundwater exploitation and stymie the water and land subsidence crisis in the capital.

“The increase [in the tariff] is also aimed at curbing groundwater exploitation involving big industries across the city,” Governor Fauzi Bowo said Tuesday.

The administration’s environment board (BPLHD) previously announced the price of groundwater for wealthy residential areas and industry would be up to six times higher than its current rate.

The tax in wealthy residential areas will increase from Rp 525 per cubic meter to Rp 3,300, and for industry from Rp 8,800 to Rp 23,000 with the proposed bylaw.

Dian Wiwekowati of the BPLHD previously said some experts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) had conducted research last year to help the agency decide the ideal rate.

“We will also impose stricter sanctions for business owners who violate the bylaw. We can revoke their operational permits,” Fauzi said.

“Many people blame residents for digging wells to access water, but their digging doesn’t actually have a great effect on land subsidence in the city,” said Fauzi.

“It is large industry that has had the biggest impact on it [land subsidence],”

Last year, the administration reported more than 1,000 companies in the city overused groundwater.

The BPLHD reported earlier that in vulnerable areas of the city, groundwater exploitation had caused land to sink 1.2 meters. Construction of high-rise buildings also speeds up land subsidence as developments put pressure on the soil.

The BPLHD would cap the issuance of permits to build artesian wells for new commercial buildings, as existing wells already account for more than 80 percent of total groundwater use in the city.

Fauzi also called on industry and wealthy residential areas to use tap water.

“We will increase the clean tap water supply for Jakartans, including residents living in critical areas like Marunda [North Jakarta], Cengkareng and Kali Deres [both in West Jakarta],” he said.

In 2004, the city mining agency drew up a memorandum of understanding with private water companies PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja), PT Aetra Air Jakarta and the city’s water operator PT PAM Jaya, requiring private operators to supply clean tap water to minimize groundwater use.

However, residents and business operators continue to use groundwater.

Aetra business service director Rhamses Simanjuntak claimed his company was ready to supply tap water to large industries.

“We have adequate pipeline networks to supply tap water to large industries and commercial buildings, such as malls, apartments, hotels and office buildings,” Rhamses told The Jakarta Post.

Everything is broken

Michael Quin, CONTRIBUTOR The Jakarta Post,  JAKARTA | Tue, 03/03/2009 12:58 PM 

 

 

High wire: A pedestrian steps over a hole in a footbridge over Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, South Jakarta (file photo). JP/P.J. Leo

 

Along a street like any other in central Jakarta runs a fence, elegant and topped with golden paint.

 

On one side of this fence sits Indonesia’s central bank with its lavish towers, lawns manicured by scores of busy hands and perfect well-swept paths. On the other side of the divide lies a cracked sidewalk with four holes, each large enough to swallow a man.

 

On this, the public side of the fence, there is no careful maintenance.

 

Dodging the holes is Sunoko, a 50-year-old hotelier walking home from work. He says the holes have been there for a long time and can’t understand how people are just expected to navigate them every day.

 

“These holes are very dangerous,” he says. “At night if people are walking and they aren’t aware of them they might drop in. And it’s not only Jakartan people, many foreigners also walk here, looking up while they’re sightseeing.”

 

Many of Jakarta’s streets are like this. Some are much, much worse.

 

For those not familiar with the streets, for the tired, the drunk, those walking during floods, the vision impaired, the elderly or disabled, the danger of falling in these holes is very real.

 

Kevin Radityama, a 19-year-old student in central Jakarta, once made the mistake of using a sidewalk after heavy rain.

 

“I was walking in Sarinah [central Jakarta] and there was a very deep hole filled with water because of the rain. I didn’t know there was a hole so I just walked, stepped in it and I twisted my ankle. I told the police about it but they just said: what can we do?” he says.

 

“When we tell the government there is a hole, or something like that, they say OK we’ll fix it. But they don’t do it, they just talk and talk. I don’t think they really care about things like this.”

The frustration of Jakartans such as Sunoko and Raditayama is clear. But for those with disabilities whose lives are severely limited by poor infrastructure, the apparent lack of interest from local government is beyond frustrating.

 

Chairwoman of the Indonesian Disabled Women’s Assemblage, Ariani, says the poorly maintained streets are just part of a long list of reasons why Jakarta is a disabled person’s nightmare: 10-inch curbs, uneven footpaths, ramps too steep to use and a lack of wheelchair access on public transport all add to their worries.

 

 Paving the way: Workers pave a section of sidewalk outside the Attorney General’s Office building in South Jakarta (file photo). JP/Arief Suhardiman

“The fact that Jakarta’s roads and sidewalks are badly damaged makes even more obstacles for disabled people,” she says.

 

Her organization is making recommendations to the government concerning this, but is yet to hear back or see any change.

 

“The government is taking a very long time to follow up on its commitment to build facilities for the disabled,” she says.

 

Other Jakartans trying to make their complaints heard have been calling community radio stations to report dangers such as potholes, fallen trees or power outages.

 

Nita Roshita, from Jakarta’s 89.2 FM Green Radio, often hears from listeners concerned with the condition of the streets. Her station follows up complaints with the relevant authority.

 

While the utility companies respond well and repair problems quickly, she says, public works officials can be hard to reach, often handballing inquiries from the national Public Works Ministry to the Jakarta Public Works Department and back again.

 

“People are frustrated. Every three to six months the local government sends press releases saying that Jakarta has been fixed: There are no holes in the streets anymore, or there are fewer holes. But people say that is impossible because they still find holes in the street and people still have accidents because of them,” she says.

 

After hearing from so many disgruntled listeners, Nita can’t understand why the authorities won’t move to resolve such a straightforward and uncontroversial issue.

 

“This problem’s been going on for years and if they want to claim it in the budget and fix it then they should do it. It would be very popular,” she says.

 

At the center of all this is the Jakarta Public Works Department, headed by Budi Widiantoro.

In an interview, Budi admits there are problems with Jakarta’s streets.

 

“The conditions of our sidewalks aren’t good in many places, and they are dangerous, but along the main roads they are in good shape,” he says.

 

Budi says his department’s priority this year is planting gardens in the city and is unable to provide any data on how many dangerous holes there might be in Jakarta, nor when they will be fixed.

 

But apparently work is underway, with Rp 3 billion (US$250,000) earmarked for sidewalk maintenance this year.

 

“As soon as we know about a hole, we fix it. We have our own monitoring team and sometimes we also have the information from the people who use the street,” he says.

 

The monitoring team consists of one person in each of Jakarta’s 43 subdistricts. Between them all, this year, they’ve found seven holes to fix.

 

The hole in the sidewalk across the street from the Jakarta Public Works office was not one of them.

 

Budi explains the crumbling streets and missing cement slabs aren’t the result of poor maintenance by his department, but rather the fault of street stalls, scooters, and even thieves.

In the end, responsibility for providing safe streets rests with the Jakarta Public Works Department.

 

But for all the stories of injuries resulting from holes in the sidewalks that Jakartans will tell you, the department has not once been held accountable.

 

When asked why this is, Budi replies with a wide smile.

 

“No one has ever made a claim against us. They could make a claim against us if they fell in a hole and injured themselves but so far no one has. I don’t know why.”

 

One reason may be that most Jakartans aren’t sure they can.

 

Along one particularly potholed sidewalk, passersby were asked if they’d make a claim against the local government after falling into a hole and injuring themselves. Almost 80 percent said they would not, with most of those saying they didn’t believe they could.

 

Which leaves pedestrians – and government accountability – on a rocky road.

Agency fails to spend money

Triwik Kurniasari, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Tue, 03/03/2009 1:29 PM 

 

Councilors have slammed the public works agency for not making the most of the 2008 budget to complete land acquisition for the East Flood Canal (BKT) project.

 

On Monday the agency reported it had only spent 30 percent of its budget in 2008.

 

Agency head Budi Widiantoro said his office had only used Rp 99 billion (US$8 million) of its Rp 300 billion municipal budget for last year’s BKT project.

 

“We also received about Rp 400 billion from the national budget, but the absorption was only about Rp 202 billion,” Budi said at City Hall.

 

“We faced some hurdles in the land acquisition process. For instance, we received the budget a bit late, in March.

 

“There was also a change in regulation. The National Land Agency [BPN] stipulated that there should be an appraisal process for all areas measuring more than one hectare.”

 

He added his office would appoint a consultant to conduct appraisals to speed the land acquisition process.

 

The administration has pledged to intensify land procurement in the near future for the canal.

The canal is aimed at reducing floods in a 270-square-kilometer flood-prone area straddling East and North Jakarta.

 

The agency also used up only 47 percent of its overall budget, far from last year’s budget absorption target maximum of 85 percent.

 

For 2009, the administration set the budget absorption at 95 percent.

 

Sayogo Hendrosubroto, chairman of City Council Commission D for development affairs, urged the agency to immediately complete the land acquisition.

 

“We approved a big portion of the budget for the canal project, but so far we have not seen the results. The agency has really failed to meet its budget absorption,” he chided.

 

“So we believe it doesn’t need a lot of money to complete the project. The budget will be useless.

 

“It would be better if they allocate a portion of the budget to improve the city’s public facilities, like fixing damaged roads and dredging rivers.”

 

Commission D member Irman Syukur agreed.

 

“We had high hopes that the administration would soon complete the acquisition process,” he said.

 

“The canal is important, but the agency should also pay attention to other facilities, like damaged roads across the capital. Many Jakartans have suffered a lot from the damaged roads.”

 

Agency data shows a total of 178.4 hectares of land in East Jakarta is needed to accommodate the canal and another 82.5 hectares for corridors beside the canal.

 

In North Jakarta, 78.6 hectares is needed for the canal, with 69.4 hectares for its corridors.

This year, Rp 250 billion is allocated for land acquisition in East and North Jakarta for the project.

 

Budi said his agency would allocate Rp 100 billion to procure land until March.

 

“We spent Rp 50 billion during January and February this year. We will allocate another Rp 41 billion this week,” he said.

Public toilet operators make profit from rushed travelers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 03/03/2009 1:46 PM 

 

 When nature calls: A toilet attendant sits in front of a public rest room at Gondangdia railway station, Central Jakarta. Those using the toilet pay a maintenance fee of Rp 1,000 (8 US cents) or Rp 2,000 depending on the facilities. JP/HASYIM WIDHIARTO 

 

For Anggun Rosa Indah, using a public toilet in a railway station was a thing she tried to avoid.

 

Anggun, who commutes to her office in an air-conditioned express train from Pondok Cina in Depok, West Java, to Sudirman in Central Jakarta, said she used the toilet in the two stations very rarely because of their lack of maintenance.

 

"I don't need to pay Rp 1,000 (8 US cents) or Rp 2,000 to use a dirty toilet," the employee of a state-owned company told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

 

"I prefer to wait for 15 minutes until I arrive at the office."

 

Anggun may be among many city residents who avoid using public toilets after having had unpleasant experiences, but until people stop needing the toilet, public toilet operators said their businesses would keep running as usual.

 

Ahmad, a public toilet attendant in Pasar Minggu railway station, South Jakarta said his public toilet never stopped receiving patrons.

 

"I can get between Rp 150,000 and 250,000 every day," Ahmad, who takes care of six toilets and a five-by three-meter prayer room at the station, told the Post.

 

With more than 7,500 passengers using the Pasar Minggu station every day, Ahmad, 39, works hard all day to keep the toilets clean.

 

"Besides passengers, some market vendors and residents living around here also use my toilet," he said

 

"I have to sweep the toilet floor every 30 minutes."

 

Like most public toilets in Jakarta, Ahmad charges his toilet patrons Rp 1,000 for using the facilities and Rp 2,000 for bathing.

 

"There is no price competition, All people know that every toilet in railway stations and bus terminals in Jakarta has the same rate," said Ahmad, who has been taking care of the toilet for almost a year.

 

Every month, Ahmad said he had to spend at least Rp 150,000 for electricity and Rp 200,000 for buying cleaning materials. He also needed to allocate money to pay "security fees" to the local thugs.

 

"Several groups come frequently to collect money from me and vendors in the station."

 

"Two groups ask for Rp 100,000 and Rp 60,000 per month, while other smaller groups ask between Rp 1,000 and Rp 5,000 per day," Ahmad said, adding that the thugs would threaten him or anyone who refused to give them money. With only two public toilets operating near the station's main entrance, Ahmad said he never worried about losing patrons.

 

"The passengers only have a limited choice and it keeps our revenue steady."

 

Andi, another public toilet attendant in Gambir station, Central Jakarta, said the location of the toilet had a significant impact on boosting toilet revenues.

 

The 23-year-old said he was having difficulty making much profit although he ran a public toilet in the city's busiest railway station.

 

Located in the station's parking lot, Andi's toilet can only be seen by passersby or taxi drivers.

 

The passengers or station visitors who enter from the station's northern main entrance, can not see the toilet, as there is a mosque in the way.

 

"I only get between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000 per day although I open the toilet for almost 18 hours every day," Andi, who operates four toilets, said.

 

Andi said he was sometimes jealous of the operartor of the public toilet located opposite his toilet.

 

"The toilet beside the station mosque makes much more revenue as people can easily see the toilet."

 

"If they find those toilets fully occupied, then they come to my toilet," he said.

 

The Post's observation of the public toilet beside Gambir station's mosque saw that in 15 minutes an average of 12 patrons, mostly men, visited the toilet. However, Agus, the toilet attendant, refused to disclose his daily revenue.

 

According to Oding Mulyana, 39, operator of 10 public toilets in railway stations in Jakarta, running a public toilet business was a challenging job.

 

"First, we have to secure the toilet operating contract from the railway station management," Oding, whose family has run a public toilet business since the 1980s, told the Post in a telephone interview.

 

"Sometimes, we have to pay a higher price because other competitors would do the same, especially to win contracts in busy railway stations, like Kota and Gambir."

 

Most public toilets in Jakarta's bus terminals and railway stations are operated by private operators. They pay money to rent the toilets and expect profit from charging toilet patrons a fee for providing toilet maintenance and cleaning services.

 

"The highest rent rate for operating a public toilet now stands at Rp 25,000 per square meter per day and will continue to rise," said Oding, who has public toilets located in Tanah Abang, Sawah Besar and Gambir stations, Central Jakarta.

 

Once operators have secured the contract, Oding said they have to take maintenance costs into consideration.

 

"Operators sometimes have to take the risk. They have to spend their own money for maintenance should the public toilet only bring in a small revenue, such as less than Rp 50,000 per day. There will be no profit. All the money will go to pay utility fees and salaries for the toilet attendants.

 

"Then, they must choose, to continue or to quit operating the toilet," Oding said.

 

Despite this hit-and-run strategy, Oding said his family has managed to stay in the business for more than 20 years.

 

"At big stations, like Gambir, I can get more than Rp 2 million in net profit per month," he said. (hwa)

Related Articles:

`Flush it,' frustrated toilet operators tell oblivious public

Public toilet attendants do it tough in struggling employment market

Buddha Bar under spotlight for two issues

Triwik Kurniasari, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Tue, 03/03/2009 1:47 PM 

 

The city tourism and culture agency denied allegations it had distorted the Old Immigration Office building currently home to the Buddha Bar, insisting the building remained a historical public place.

 

Arie Budhiman, the agency's head, said that as of today, the building still belonged to the city administration.

 

"It used to be a neglected building until the administration decided to restore it a couple of years ago. Because of our limited budget, we decided to team up with the private sector to support the project," Arie told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

 

"It *the Buddha Bar* is open to the public. Everybody can enter the building since it is a restaurant-cum-art gallery," he said.

 

Lin Che Wei, founder of Independent Research and Advisory Indonesia, and architect and urban planner Marco Kusumawijaya, wrote a column recently criticizing the public-private partnership deal used to fund the old building's redevelopment. They pointed out that although the restoration used public money, the use of the building was limited to affluent people who could afford to hang out at the upmarket bar.

 

The Buddha Bar building used to be the Old Immigration Office building, which was originally set up as a center for the arts and hosted opera performances.

 

Buddha Bar is now run by the daughter of former governor Sutiyoso who initially approved the purchase and renovations.

 

Although Lin said he was happy that the building was being preserved for future generations, he was pained to see the general public lose access to one of Jakarta's historical buildings.

 

Lin and Marco said old heritage buildings should remain public spaces that belonged to all citizens.

 

In 2005, the administration led by former head of culture and museum agency Aurora Tambunan, promised the agency would work with private management to transform the building into a "unique venue" where all Jakartans could partake in all sorts of activities.

 

The Jakarta administration spent Rp 28 billion in 2002 to repurchase the old building and poured an additional Rp 6.1 billion into restoring it in 2005.

 

"We gave the bar management permission to turn the place into Buddha Bar because they were willing to help us restore the building," Arie said.

 

Buddha Bar has also attracted complaints from Buddhists in Jakarta who are angry the bar was named after the sacred "Buddha".

 

A group called the Anti Buddha Bar Forum has asked the administration to urge Buddha Bar management, PT Nereta, to change the bar's name.

 

Deputy Governor Prijanto said the administration would hold a meeting shortly between the forum and PT Nereta to solve the problem.

 

Budiman Sudharma, head of the Young Generation of Indonesia Mahayana (DPP GMMI) has asked all Buddhists to remain calm over this issue.

 

"We have yet to decide whether the name and symbols used in the bar are against the law. We are still discussing it. If it is proven wrong, we will file a protest," said Budiman as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

Related Article:

Buddhist students seal Buddha-Bar

Indonesia to go digital by 2015

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 03/03/2009 7:27 PM  

Indonesia is expected to go all digital by 2015 for all electronic appliances, including television, an official at the Communications and Information Ministry (Depkominfo) said Tuesday. 

"By 2015-2016 Indonesia is expected to have gone 'totally digital'," Director General of Communication Services and Information Dissemination at the Information and Communications Ministry, Freddy H. Tulung said, as quoted by Antara news. 

He added that by 2015-2016 all analog appliances would be phased out due to a cease in production. 

"We even hope things would take place sooner because every year we evaluate to smooth the process," Tulung said. 

According to Tulung, there are three stages to appliance digitalization in Indonesia. 

Throughout 2008 the ministry has allocated time to publicize digital appliances. 

Within the 2012-2015 period, the ministry will expand digital coverage in all areas so as to include medium-sized and small cities. 

"Increasingly we have also increased the issuance allotment for digital permits while phasing out the issuance of permits for analog appliances," Tulung said. (amr)

PT KAI renovates historical Lawang Sewu building in Semarang

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang | Tue, 03/03/2009 5:53 PM  

State-owned railway company PT KAI of Semarang has renovated historical Lawang Sewu building and planned to create it as a ticket reservation centre and tourism object after being neglected for 25 years. 

Over the past one week, the company has deployed some workers to clean up and paint some rooms at the first and second floor of the building, which located in the Tugu Muda area. 

The company's spokesperson Warsono told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that his office was renovating only some main rooms at the first and second floors and targeting to finish them all this month. 

“We will also make the old building as a center for executive and business classes tickets reservation to make easier for residents thanks to the building strategic location as compared to Tawang station,” he said. 

To attract more visitors, he added, the company would provide the building with antique locomotive made in 1908 from Germany. 

The Lawang Sewu building was built on Feb. 17, 1904 and was the headquarter of Nederlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschapij or the Dutch Indies Rail Company. (ewd)

Related Article:

Lawang Sewu: Ahaunted, sad place

Jakarta Predicted to be Underwater By 2012

Monday, 02 March, 2009 | 16:23 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Firdaus Ali, a technical environment researcher from the University of Indonesia, predicts that Jakarta will be underwater before the year 2012. He cited as the cause the excessive suction of ground water in the Jakarta area, resulting in the continuing subsidence of the land surface. “Not only will the city go underwater, we will also suffer from dehydration prior to that,” said the doctorate from the University of Wisconsin contacted by Tempo yesterday.

Firdaus’ calculation was based on the data of land subsidence in the capital city, which ranges around 10 centimeters a year in average. In West Jakarta, during the past 11 years, the land surface subsided by 1,2 meters. In Kemayoran and Thamrin in Central Jakarta, it has lost ground by 80 centimeters for the last 8 years. “If this continues, Jakarta’s land surface will be below sea level,” Firdaus said.

City Environment Committee chief, Darrundono, shared a similar opinion, pointing out that extreme exploitation of ground water has caused a drastic land subsidence. He said ground water supply is not increasing, yet its consumption keeps going higher. “A ground water crisis in Jakarta has come to a dangerous stage,” he cautioned.

The Jakarta administration plans to increase fees for ground water usage by luxury homes and industries to 6 – 16 times higher. This is aimed at reducing consumption which has become more exploitative.

Increasing fees, Firdaus said, is one of the instruments to reduce its usage. Users would be persuaded to use potable water from the services of the state-run Water Supply Company (PAM). “Ground water tariffs should be higher than that of PAM,” he said.

Every year, 320 million water cubic meters are sucked up from the ground, according to Firdaus. Yet, the reasonable amount should be only 38 million cubic meters. Meanwhile, the official data cites only 21 million cubic meters allowed to be consumed. “The remaining must be taken illegally,” he said.

According to Firdaus, extreme ground water exploitation creates a hollow in the earth. The resulting pressure causes the land subsidence. There are already many hollow areas around. “Even local rainfall can flood many areas,” he said.

Darrundono said the subsidence will cause Jakarta to slowly go below sea level. Sea water intrusion has currently reached 11 – 12 kilometers from the coast. “Sea water intrusion has reached the Setia Budi area in South Jakarta. Floods will become even more unmanageable,” he said. Sea water intrusion and subsidence can also cause buildings to collapse.

Darrundono criticized the construction of super-block buildings and skyscrapers in Jakarta, which also takes up excessive amount of ground water.

SOFIAN| LIS

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.