Finding a cure for Indonesia's sick river

CNN, by Anna Coren, March 21, 2010

Collecting rubbish on the banks of the Citarum river outside the village of Sakamaju, on the outskirts of Bandung, Indonesia. It is one of the world's most polluted waterways.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Citarum River in Indonesia supplies around 30 million people with water
• Extreme pollution means many who live in villages along its banks often fall ill
• Poor sanitation compounds the problems for health of people and environment
• Asian Development Bank spending $500 million on river clean-up project

Bandung, Indonesia (CNN) -- The small village of Sukamaju on the outskirts of Bandung, West Java is nestled within mountains and rice plantations. To the naked eye, the scenery looks beautiful but on closer inspection, this ecosystem is supported by a water source that is sick and heavily polluted.

We've arrived to cover a story on the Citarum River, considered one of the most polluted rivers in Indonesia, if not the world. Around 30 million people rely on this water basin and it provides 80 percent of Jakarta's drinking water.

While this water is obviously treated for consumption in the larger town and big cities, in Sukamaju what's in the river is pumped directly to the community. The only filtration available is a towel or sock wrapped around a waterspout. The villagers use this water everyday to bathe, wash and cook.

But for drinking, they will boil it. Health experts tell us, this process will kill the bacteria but it certainly won't get rid of the heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

Near the village there are dozens of textile factories -- the main source of employment for many of the local people. They're also one of the biggest polluters of the Citarum River, spewing industrial waste directly into the waterways.

At one spot outside a plant, the water is black with pollution. Children play in it; crops are grown beside it.

A little further upstream, 10 meters before the water turns black, we meet a man who is washing plastic bags he will then sell. He says he does it here because of the strong chemicals in the water -- it helps him do his job more effectively.

We meet Nyai, a 60-year-old great grandmother who has a persistent skin infection. She has welts, lumps and dark markings all over her torso. Her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren all suffer the same condition, including 4-year-old Wildan.

4-year-old Wildan has spots covering his face and neck his family believe are from the polluted waters of the river.

I ask him to show me where it's itchy and he points to the spots covering his face and neck. Nyai says this skin condition only became a problem for her village after the textile factories set up in the 1980s.

Asked if she's angry about the water situation Nyai replies: "We have no choice, this is the only water we have. Everyone in this village only has this water source. If it's raining then our wells will get fresh water but if it's dry season, everyone must use this water."

Water, black from chemical pollution, runs down na channel outside a textile plant. Dozen of textile factories line the banks of the river by Sakumaju and toward the city of Bandung.

But it's not just the factories, using the Citarum as a dumping ground; the community effectively use it as an open sewer. As we walk through the village, children squat over canals and defecate directly into the water. Any garbage is thrown in the waterway or dumped on the side of the riverbank.

Re-educating local communities on how to look after the Citarum is one of the main projects for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It's investing $500 million dollars over the next 15 years to try and save the Citarum and the communities who rely on it.

The ADB will work closely with Indonesian government to rehabilitate the entire river basin, addressing the issues of pollution, sanitation, and environmental problems like deforestation, siltation and flooding. Tom Panella from the ADB is fully aware of the enormous task in front of him and his team, but he remains hopeful .

"The Citarum is very sick and needs everybody to help bring it back to a state of health so all communities reliant on it can have a good quality of life and sustainable livelihoods," he says. "It's not dead but it needs a tremendous amount of work from all of us."

Two scavengers search for plastic garbage in Citarum River, Baleendah in Bandung on Sunday. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has declared the 270 kilometer river as the world’s most polluted river. (Antara/Rezza Estily)

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Four nuclear power plants planned for operation in 2017

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 03/20/2010 9:35 AM

A panel of nuclear experts said Thursday that nuclear electric power could benefit Indonesia in the future if handled correctly through complete understanding of regulations, team diligence and knowledge of plant equipment, operations and maintenance.

“What is really important is a high human motivation because it will increase both safety and availability,” Prof. Ishikawa Michio of the Japan Technology Nuclear Institute said in a seminar at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology office in Central Jakarta.

“That is why you have to put a lot of money in the regulations for safety measures,” he added.

According to Hudi Hastowo of the National Nuclear Energy Agency of the Republic Indonesia, the country has done extensive preparatory work on most infrastructure issues that would allow it to introduce nuclear power.

Indonesia has established a national energy policy under Law No. 17 of 2007, which declares that nuclear energy will be part of the energy mix for 2015-2019.

As a result of this policy, the country is planning to construct four units of nuclear power plants of about 4,000 megawatts each, which are expected to start operations in 2017.

Nuclear energy is also expected to meet about 2 percent of the nation’s electricity demands by 2025.

Meanwhile, Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata, who also attended the seminar on “Prospects of Nuclear Electric Power in Indonesia”, explained that energy security is crucial to national security.

“Nuclear technology is a necessity. In order to transform Indonesia into a developed country, we need to find alternative energy resources that are renewable and sustainable,” he said.

There are approximately 437 operating nuclear power plants worldwide, with 55 more units under construction.

As many as 60 countries, including Indonesia, are considering building nuclear plants, while 25 countries have shown interest in their development.

Last month civil society groups insisted that there were no urgent reasons to develop nuclear power plants in Indonesia, citing the country’s large sources of alternative energy, ranging from coal, geothermal heat, water, and wind.

They also said that the current severe energy shortage was due to the government’s failure to deal with energy resources, with most of the nation’s coal and gas being exported. (tsy)

There are approximately 437 operating nuclear power plants worldwide, with 55 more units under construction.

Telecommunication towers closed to foreign investors

Aditya Suharmoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Thu, 03/18/2010 9:28 AM

The government will keep the telecommunications towers business closed to foreign investors in the upcoming revision to the “negative investment list”, Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said.

Hatta said the new negative investment list would adopt a joint agreement signed in 2009 by the Home Ministry, the Communications and Information Technology Ministry.

The agreement stipulates that all investments in towers or base transfer stations (BTS) for cellular telecommunications systems are strictly closed to foreigners in a bid to support local players.

The adoption of the agreement will end a prolonged debate on the need to open up this type of business, assuming that local players could not meet the demand for rapid cellular telecoms penetration in the country.

Investment Coordinating Board head Gita Wirjawan said opening up the tower business would result in more capital flowing into the telecommunications sector, which would benefit the people.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring, however, argued local businesses should have a share in the telecommunications sector, which is already heavy with foreign players.

“I just want our share in the information and communication technologies [ICT] business of Rp 300 trillion [US$33 billion],” he said.

He added that BTS construction does not require a large amount of finance, which make him prefer to protect the BTS business, retaining it for local businesses. Tifatul said the BTS business was only 8 percent of the whole ICT business.

Hatta said although BTS business would be designated for local businesses only, they could look for funds anywhere including from foreign fund managers.

“You have to differentiate between ownership and the ability to look for funds. Funds can be generated from domestic [sources] or from fund managers or anywhere,” he said.

“Those that provide funds do not have to be investors. Don’t let our capacity for [BTS] construction be obstructed because we maintain 100 percent national ownership. BTS is an important infrastructure for Indonesia’s development,” he added.

Hatta said the revision of the 2007 presidential regulation on the negative investment list would be finished after one more meeting between affected officials. The negative investment list regulates the percentage of foreign ownership in certain business sectors, including telecommunications, health, education and agriculture.

Hatta dismissed claims that foreign investors may be limited in purchasing shares offered through rights issues, as part of the revision of the list.

He said purchasing shares via the stock market was different from ownership in certain businesses.

The revision of the negative investment list is aimed to ensure a more competitive investment climate, seeing the need to attract more investment into Indonesia’s consumer-driven economy.

Indonesia needs total investment of nearly Rp 2,000 trillion in the 2010-2014 period to accelerate infrastructure projects, the National Development Planning Agency says.

Residents benefit from underground river water

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Gunung Kidul | Sat, 03/13/2010 12:28 PM

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto has inaugurated the underground river water-pumping project, which is expected to provide clean water for 75,000 residents in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta.

The project, Bribin II, is located in Sindon, Dadapayu, Semanu, Gunungkidul.

The source of water from the underground river, located 104 meters below the ground, is pumped up to the surface by using microhydro power and later channeled to a reservoir on a hill 250 meters high and then distributed to residents’ homes.

Four pipes are used to pump water to the surface, each at a capacity of 80 liters per minute.

The inauguration ceremony on Thursday was marked by switching on the tap that discharged a flow of water in the national colors of respective Indonesian and German flags, as a symbol of cooperation between the two countries in the water-tapping project.

“Thanks to the cooperation between Indonesian and German experts, now Gunungkidul residents, who used to face water shortage during the dry season, can enjoy clean water from the belly of the earth,” Djoko said.

He added the Bribin II project had undergone through an eight-year process.

Launched 2002, the project was suspended due to the earthquake in 2006.

In 2009, after several trials, the workers were able to draw out underground river water to the surface.

The Bribin II project, which is a joint-venture with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, is the first of such a project in the world which works by drawing underground river water from a depth of 104 meters without using electricity.

Head of the Serayu-Opak River Area Center Bambang Hargono said his office was only responsible for operating the equipment and extract water to the surface.

“Water distribution and operational expenses are the domain of responsibility of the local tap-water company.”

Dutch bunker found under Tanjung Priok train station

Eny Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 03/18/2010 10:55 AM

Archeologists from the archeological directorate of the Culture and Tourism Ministry have found a bunker and some doors during excavations at Tanjung Priok train station, North Jakarta, between February and March this year.

Old Town management unit (UPT) chief Candrian Attahiyyat said Tuesday that the experts had completed digging for preliminary data about their findings.

“It is about a 2-meter underground hole. We have not yet determined the size of the bunker itself.”

Candrian estimated the bunker was constructed by the Dutch colonial government between 1938 and 1940, arguing that materials such as concrete and cement were only becoming widespread at the beginning of the 20th century.

The concrete bunker was large enough to accommodate about 100 people, but “It did not have an air supply. Therefore, it might have only been used for emergencies that lasted no longer than a day,” he said.

Based on similar structures found at other sites in the city, Candrian believed the bunker was built in preparation of the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia during World War II.

“We believe the bunker was a hideout. It seems the Dutch government feared a massive assault on the city. As a matter of fact, the fighting was relatively minimal [in Jakarta],” Candrian added.

But the archeologists had not yet determined whether the bunker was operational at the time, he added.

Similar bunkers have been found beneath government offices and strategic colonial sites across the capital, including Tanjung Priok harbor of North Jakarta, the Jakarta History Museum of West Jakarta, Lapangan Banteng, Menteng and Kebon Sirih of Central Jakarta, he said.

Candrian said the doors were found inside the basement, one of which was in front of the stairs leading to the bunker.

North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiyono said that the doors were still being studied by archeologists.

“For now, the site of the excavation is closed to the public,” Bambang said.

Candrian said that his office was hoping to uncover another bunker under the Fine Arts and Ceramic Museum at Old Town.

“We want to examine whether all of the bunkers in the city have similar structures,” he said.

Bambang said that the excavation was part of efforts to promote the station as a tourism destination.

“We expect residents will enjoy visiting to learn about the history of the station. We plan to build a tourism information center and souvenir stalls,” he said.

Tanjung Priok station was opened on April 6, 1925, marking the first electric train service in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia’s former name).

When Planning Mega-Cities, What We Don’t Know is as Crucial as What We Do

Jakarta Globe, Girish Nanda, March 16, 2010

It was none other than Donald Rumsfeld who, in a moment of uncharacteristic clarity while serving as the US secretary of defense in 2002, broke down intelligence gaps into“known knowns” (things we know), “known unknowns” (things we don’t), and “unknown unknowns” (things we don’t know that we don’t know). While he directed his words at the ongoing war in Afghanistan, recognizing what you know and what you don’t is critical in any context.

Urban planning in Asia’s mega-cities is one area where such knowns and unknowns intersect. Things we can know include government policy, regulations, key performance indicators and the modern urban planning goals of sustainability, reduced carbon emissions and urban social equality. Known problems include bureaucracy, corruption and lack of enforcement.

Known unknowns include the questions of how to plan a city that is slum free, and exactly when collapse will ensue when an urban center develops without adequate transportation systems.

Planning also involves unknown unknowns. These are not scenarios involving factors we have yet to contemplate — such as how to respond to a particular flood or earthquake — but unknown gaps in our knowledge. We cannot precisely predict these new problems, but it is certain that they will arise.

Two core components of city planning are long-term planning, often in the form of a master plan, and medium-term planning, often framed in five-year dollops.

The master plan is an assessment of what a city and its supporting structure should be in about two to three decades. Columbia University professor Elliot Sclar aptly describes the two extremes of such plans: At their best, “master plans project positive visions of what a city could be if it was to create an attractive environment for urban existence,” and at their worst they “reduce themselves to architectural fantasies superimposed upon bureaucratically created land-use maps.”

Unfortunately, in terms of the Asian mega-cities experience, we are seeing more of the latter. Medium-term plans are similarly often filled with vague yet technical details intended to be in alignment with the long-term plan, but which in practice are largely steps backward. For many detractors, chiefly car users, this could be the definition of Jakarta’s busway system.

But it is not just transport planning that is a challenge in 21st century Asian mega-cities. These cities already suffer from unresponsive infrastructure, combative sanitation systems and a dearth of clean water that, when combined with elusive livelihood opportunities, add up to a feeling of living in unending, unforgiving and unalterable poverty.

But despite the problems, Asia’s mega-cities will also be the cities facing the highest rates of population growth in the coming decades. There is still no shortage of takers for the wonders of the urban pull. These movements put stress on city administrations which often lack the manpower, expertise and capability to effectively address any of these problems outright.

While city planning ideally should focus on achieving vibrancy, sustainability and liveability for all, these ideals are often constrained by outdated government policies, a lack of policy, funding shortfalls, general bureaucratic hurdles and, sadly, appeasing the interests of competing elites only too happy to skew urban budgets to suit their needs.

For example, in Cairo one gated colony intends to hold 500,000 people and will include hospitals, universities, malls and a water park. Moderating this pattern of exclusive development is no easy matter for city authorities, however, with heavy pressure on them from elites to conform. How to mitigate this inherent conflict of interest might well be an unknown unknown because many authorities would not recognize this as an issue yet, especially as senior members of local authorities tend to live in such “favored” ghettos.

However, as the urban poor are better educated about their rights, and as advocacy groups remind public officials that infrastructure and city services cannot be developed at the behest of market forces alone, access to such resources might become more widespread. Soon, planners and politicians will realize the effect of such public development in increasing life chances and reducing overall costs.

For example, developing full clean water and sanitation coverage in Jakarta, in addition to conserving water resources for the future, could also reduce future costs in the health care sector and also increase labor productivity.

Then there’s the edifying effect of growing up in a green, clean, disease-free city that supports positive life chances rather than trying its best to snuff out any semblance of well-being in the metropolitan life. Of course solving mega-city problems may cost mega-bucks, with bills eventually running into billions of dollars in annual costs for all of Asia’s mega-cities combined. But decisions on whether to spend large sums of money now do not take into account future money saved by their ripple effects, and thus potential long-term benefits have been ignored by urban planners. Reforms in this kind of financing are still moving at an inappropriately slow pace.

The adequacy of planning methodologies used in “traditional” urban areas is being called into question in the 21st century when they are trotted out, unchanged, for use in the latest booming cities. While the changes around the globe brought about by explosive growth and development have had far-reaching effects, have changes in urban planning kept pace? In today’s world, have master plans assisted citizens living in mega-cities or confused them with irrelevant policies and goals? Do master plans actually curb city planners’ natural reactive tendencies?

Jakarta, by the standards of other Asian cities, is still a green city, with parks and mature trees relatively abundant. But spatial plans in all mega-cities need more regular review and even stronger enforcement as competing land-use battles intensify. The spatial plan in Jakarta is reviewed just once every five years, internally by the very government agencies it is meant to guide. More frequent monitoring of the zoning rules may save more trees from wayward developers flouting building and green-zone codes.

One unknown unknown that planners have yet to discover is that transparency and accountability, when applied in the context of megacities, are two key performance indicators in planning that are not the burden that some may perceive. Countries such as China and India have taken steps toward openness, giving citizens the right to information about how they and their cities are governed. Cities have not collapsed as a result. Indeed they are better for it. This is how it should be, because mega-cities are here to stay.

Girish Nanda is a program officer for Strategic Asia, a Jakarta-based consultancy promoting cooperation among Asian countries.

Poor People get a Discount on Clean Water Service

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 16 March, 2010 | 16:36 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Surabaya:Managing Director of the Surabaya Tap Water Provider (PDAM) Mohammad Selim has said that destitute people, or what is known as low income communities (MBR) have a discount of 50 percent to install PDAM clean water.

“The dispensation given is for the installation of new pipes at home,” said Selim, on Monday (15/1)

He said that the program was to increase public welfare.

Poor people’s health, he said, must be preserved by getting clean water distribution.

Surabaya PDAM Public Relations Officer, Sunarno, said that the service was in effect only from March to August.

“So they have to register immediately,” he said.

The fee for new clean water installation for MBRs is only between Rp450,000 and Rp500,000.

Without a discount, they normally pay Rp1 million.

The criteria for people getting the discount, say Sunarno, is residents living in homes of less than 60 m2 in size, with a street width of less than six meters and the owners must have proof of ownership.

Another requirement, said Sunarno, is they have to be able to pay the bill every month.

The total production of Surabaya PDAM is 8,500 liters per second.

The PDAM clean water has been distributed to 72 percent of Surabaya residents.

DINI MAWUNTYAS

Locals learn quake-proof construction

Arghea Desafti Hapsari, The Jakarta Post, Padang Pariaman, Mon, 03/15/2010

The violent 7.9-magnitude earthquake that jolted West Sumatra in September last year destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses and other buildings, highlighting poor construction standards.

A survey by the University of Indonesia in the early weeks of the disaster found that most of the toppled houses had no steel reinforcement to support the brick walls. A local confirmed this, adding that in many houses, bricks were offset in an orderly stack.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post recently, 41-year-old construction worker Maryunis said that builders had been constructing houses in Padang Pariaman regency using “any means they knew”.

But with the bitter quake experience, Maryunis and many others in Padang Pariaman are now seeking to learn better construction methods that will make their houses safer should another quake hit the tectonically volatile area.

More than 100 locals have received training on how to build affordable, earthquake-proof houses, with another 25 to receive training this week.

The training is conducted by Build Change, an international not-for-profit social enterprise that designs earthquake-resistant houses.

At a busy construction site just behind a community office in the Sintuk Toboh Gadang subdistrict of Padang Pariaman, dozens of men build an annex office.

Participants of Build Change’s training, the men practice their newly learned skills: Two use their shovels to mix cement using the right composition.

Others try their hand at putting up a brick wall against a concrete footing they had previously laid out. Facilitators from Build Change monitor the activity, at times showing the men how to put enough mortar between two bricks.

Maryunis said, “The builders here usually skimp on the mortar.”

Build Change program coordinator Moslem explained that construction workers in the area worked in teams.

“They usually learn their skills from team leaders who learned from previous leaders. So the same incorrect construction methods are continuously propagated,” he added.

Moslem pointed out a structure: two concrete walls under a big tree. Only a couple on inches thick, the walls are not made of bricks, but of thick wire mesh plastered with concrete.

“We also teach them to build walls using this technique. This is safer than bricks, which could collapse when a major earthquake hits, and from the outside, it looks like an ordinary, permanent brick wall after we paint it,” he said.

Building a 36-square-meter house using this technique costs less than Rp 40 million (US$3,800), Moslem said, adding that a permanent house built using Build Change’s standard would cost between Rp 50 million to 60 million.

Moslem said homeowners could choose between using wire mesh or woven bamboo to make semipermanent walls.

“Both materials can be plastered with concrete, but given its elasticity, it is harder with woven bamboo,” he added.

He also said that while people in several areas in Padang Pariaman implemented the construction techniques taught by the organization, many others were not aware that materials other than bricks could be used to construct walls and that would be esthetically similar.

Maryunis said he planned to teach his new skills to fellow construction workers in his hometown, Toboh Mesjid village.

“It won’t be easy. They have been using the same methods for years and I don’t think they would be willing to adopt a new one.”

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Haiti earthquake relief: How bamboo can help

Lack of cleanliness hampers tourism

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/14/2010 8:58 PM

Tourism expert Joice Lapian says that a lack of cleanliness remains a hurdle in tourism development in North Sulawesi.

“Visitors often complain about the lack of cleanliness in public toilets, such as the ones at the airport,” she said in Manado on Sunday.

“The local government needs to pay attention to this.”

Many public places, especially tourist attractions, are yet to be equipped with bathrooms, kompas.com reported.

“Many potential places don’t have public toilets or bathrooms and as a result, the area has not been developed,” said Joice, a lecturer at Manado’s Sam Ratulangi University.

She said that North Sulawesi had tremendous potential, especially because of its breathtaking natural beauty, but it had been unable to compete with other regions due to its lack of proper facilities.

Three SOEs ready to Build SOE Tower

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 12 March, 2010 | 21:38 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The dream of the Minister of State-owned Enterprises (SOE) Mustafa Abubakar to build an SOE tower has been well received by SOEs.

At least three SOEs have proposed their concept.

“We will try to gather together to plan several companies in one tower,” said Mustafa in Jakarta, on Wednesday.

Two SOEs, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia and PT Pertamina, have prepared a concept.

Meanwhile, PT Adhi Karya has shown its interest informally.

Mustafa wants the SOE Tower to be of a better class and quality than Petronas Tower in Malaysia.

RIEKA RAHADIANA

Haiti earthquake relief: How bamboo can help

Green Earth News, by Stacey Irwin on February 24, 2010

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude devastated the island nation of Haiti. The powerful quake collapsed over 250,000 residences, leaving roughly 1 million people homeless. The world itself shook with the impact of the relief effort. International aid agencies and private citizens responded with an outpouring of donations. The focus of the relief effort started to encompass both immediate needs such as food, water and medicine, and also the long-range planning of rebuilding Haiti from the ground up.

Bamboo, with its many uses, can play a role in the relief effort.

With commitments from INBAR (International Network of Bamboo and Rattan) and CBTC (Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre), the World Bamboo Organization and Generation Bambou are leading the way to mobilize the world of bamboo businesses and organizations with the goal of providing and promoting bamboo structures and plantations as part of the long-range relief effort focused on effective housing and economic stability.

The immediate benefit of using bamboo is found in the development of Bamboo Instant Houses. Developed in 2008 by a engineering professor in China in response to the Sichuan earthquake of that year, these modular structures can be built in less than 2 weeks and conform to United States’ building code standards for quake resistance (a huge benefit when dealing with aftershocks as high as 4.5 magnitude). The bamboo shelters are less expensive than the traditional building materials for shelters and unlike tents, they are more durable, insulated and offer a higher degree of protection from the elements.

Bamboo can also serve to build more permanent, earthquake safe structures on the island of Haiti. According to INBAR, one billion people around the world live in bamboo houses and with its tensile strength and favorable elastic qualities, buildings made from bamboo are excellent at withstanding earthquakes. When a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Costa Rica in 1992, all 30 bamboo houses in the epicenter survived intact.

Bamboo buildings would also introduce the concept of “green” living to the Haitian people. The highly sustainable plant grows without use of pesticides or fertilizers and can be harvested in 3-5 years versus the 10 -50 years needed for most hardwoods and softwoods to fully mature. Bamboo also has minimal impact on soil erosion as it is capable of regeneration without needing to be replanted. And because it can be grown and harvested locally and worked on with simple tools, it is also a cost-effective option for a country as poor as Haiti.

Bamboo can not only serve to put a roof over their heads, but also food on their tables. Across the globe, third world countries are using this valuable resource to bolster their economies. From housing to clothing to furniture to food, there are over a thousand ways to use bamboo to produce marketable goods. Haiti can ensure long-term viable economic growth by strategically planning for bamboo plantations on the island and placing the materials and means of production in the hands of the people who need it most. Bamboo is the potential cash crop that can put Haiti on the road to economic freedom.

The rebuilding of Haiti can be a renaissance of sustainability and economic development for the tiny island if the right steps are taken to rebuild. Using the exceptionally renewable, cost-effective and versatile bamboo plant is one step in that right direction.

For more on the global role of bamboo, visit Green Earth New’s section on Bamboo’s Worldwide Impact.

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Indonesia Takes Tough Stand Over Exports of Toxic Trash

Jakarta Globe, Fidelis E Satriastanti, February 24, 2010

Kino, an electronics repairman, right, and his brother restoring a damaged television on Monday. E-waste will rise dramatically in the developing world within a decade, a recent UN study said. (Reuters Photo/Enny Nuraheni)

Nusa Dua, Bali. As wealthy countries eye developing ones as dumping grounds for their hazardous waste, little has been done by the Indonesian government 16 years since it ratified the international chemical waste treaty.

The agreement, also known as the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, seems to have been forgotten amid challenging climate change issues.

The State Ministry for the Environment said Indonesia had turned away a US shipment of hazardous waste at Tanjung Mas port in Semarang in November. The vessel was carrying nine containers of cathode ray tubes. The incident was widely reported abroad, but received little coverage by local news media.

CRT is a vacuum tube found mostly in computer and television sets. They are classified as hazardous under the Basel Convention.

Yuyun Ismawati, director of the BaliFokus Foundation, a Bali-based environmental group, said the Basel Convention was crucial because it was Indonesia’s only legal platform to prohibit dangerous waste from entering the country.

“The US containers case in November is a good example of how important this convention is,” Yuyun said.

She said that of the 22 official ports in the country, Batam and Wakatobi in Sulawesi were the main entry points for such materials from overseas.

Reports from the convention’s signatory nations suggest that there are at least 8.5 million tons of hazardous waste moving between countries each year.

Yuyun said to keep the archipelago from becoming a dumping ground for developed nations, the government must first ensure Indonesians understand the Basel accord.

“The convention is producing guidance in mostly complicated terms that commoners find hard to understand,” she said.

The Basel Convention, signed in 1989, was initially criticized by environmentalists for being too lenient. Activists, particularly those from Africa, called for a complete ban on the export of hazardous chemicals.

In 1995, the agreement was amended to mandate a complete ban, but was not legally binding because major signatories, such as Japan and the United States, refused to ratify it. Only 68 of the 172 signatory nations signed the amendment.

Imam Hendargo, the Environment Ministry’s deputy for the management of hazardous substances and waste, said there were difficulties in monitoring waste coming into the country, citing a lack of resources.

“And it is not that easy to monitor our vast coastal areas,” Imam said.

Jim Puckett, executive director of the Basel Ban Network, applauded the government for turning down the shipment in November.

He added, however, that the United States would not been penalized. “But this sends a strong signal back to the United States. Environmental protection agencies across the whole region are freaking out.”

He said that while all eyes were on climate-change issues, no one wanted to live in a contaminated world, where birth defects and cancer become epidemic.

“If we save ourselves from the climate but keep on contaminating our environment, it’s the same. We can’t ignore these issues while we work on climate change issues,” he said.

Bandung Residents Fear More Flooding

Jakarta Globe, Wuryanti Pus, February 21, 2010

Residents being ferried home in Baleendah district in Bandung, capital of West Java, on Sunday. Thousands of houses in the area were inundated after heavy rain at the peak of the wet season caused the Citarum River to overflow. (Reuters Photo)

Black clouds began to fill the sky, a sign of coming rain, making people living on the banks of the Citarum River in Dayeuhkolot subdistrict, Bandung, anxious once again.

Staying in temporary shelters, they are concerned because a massive flood from the river two weeks ago has not yet entirely receded from their homes. Another downpour would wipe out their hope of being able to leave their temporary shelters and return to their homes.

According to data collected by local authorities, about 2,148 houses in three rural villages and one urban administrative unit were submerged after rain had been pouring in the area since Feb. 5.

There are 17,410 residents of the flooded area. As many as 800 had to evacuate to relatives’ homes or other neighboring flood-free houses. The deluge also submerged five mosques, five primary schools and four other public facilities.

Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono visited the location and witnessed firsthand the flood victims’ conditions.

Laksono said the government planned immediately to accelerate the Citarum River normalization project, which consists of dredging, straightening of the river’s course, and relocating the riverbank population to flood-free areas.

The project began about 10 years ago.

“At this moment there are about 1,400 hectares of land along the Citarum River that are always flooded when the river overflows, and it routinely occurs every year, but the area is shrinking, because 10 years ago it was 7,500 hectares,” Laksono said.

As part of the effort to accelerate the project, the central government through the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare, Ministry of Public Works, and Ministry of Environment is to hold a meeting with the West Java provincial government this month. Laksono said he hoped the meeting would find the best solution for the acceleration of the normalization of the Citarum River.

Antara

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RI congratulated for rejecting e-waste from US

Antara News, Tuesday, February 23, 2010 02:14 WIB

Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - The Basel Action Network has praised Indonesia for turning down nine containers of e-waste (electronic waste) from the United States last November 2009.

"Last night, I congratulated the Indonesian environmental affairs minister for the Indonesian authorities` diligent action," Jim Puckett, coordinator of Basel Action Network (BAN), said here on Monday.

Old computer monitors in the nine containers are considered hazardous e-waste for containing lead, he said when speaking to journalists attending a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Workshop on "Reporting Green - Environment as News".

He said e-waste was a problem which could poison the people. Some children working in electronic companies have lead in their blood which later could damage their brain. A similar problems could be found in China, India and Nigeria, he said.

The e-waste coming from Massachusetts was about to enter Semarang, Central Java, last November. But, thanks to a tip-off from BAN, the Indonesian authorities managed to foil the smuggling attempt.

In accordance with Indonesia`s law, hazardous import was banned, while for the US, which has not yet ratified the Basel Convention, the export was legal, he said.

Besides the US, Afghanistan and Haiti are yet to ratify the Basel Convention.

An attempt was made to dump used computer monitors in Indonesia because it was cheaper to export than recycle them, he said.

The sale of electronic products in countries like China and India and across continents such as Africa and Latin America are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, according to UN experts in a landmark report released by UNEP in Nusa Dua, Monday (Feb. 22).

"And, unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health," according to the report.

Issued at a meeting of Basel Convention and other world chemical authorities prior to UNEP`s Governing Council meeting in Bali, the report "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources" , used data from 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation - which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.

Nairobi-based UNEP is organizing "The Reporting Green Workshop" and "The Simaltaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions", in Nusa Dua, from Feb. 22 to 26.

And on Feb. 24-26, UNEP will hold the 11th Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, which is expected to be officially opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and attended by around 100 environment ministers from various countries.

Village Leaders Rally in Jakarta to Demand Rural Rights

Jakarta Globe, February 22, 2010

Thousands of village leaders staged a rally in front of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Monday. (Antara Photo/Rosa Panggabean)

Thousands of village heads flocked to the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Monday for a rally to demand a better deal for people from rural areas.

Grouped as the Nusantara Rural People’s Association (Parade Nusantara), the village heads from across the country demanded that 10 percent of the State Budget (APBN) be allocated for rural people.

“Some 78 percent of the Indonesian people live in rural areas, and therefore it is only reasonable for us to demand that 10 percent of the APBN be allocated for rural areas,” Parade Nusantara spokesman Sudin Santoso said in his oration.

The group also urged the House to pass a bill on rural development into law immediately.

“The funds we demand are not for us as village heads but for rural development,” Sudin said.

He added that the rural development funds were needed to provide the rural communities with job opportunities to improve the welfare of residents.

“If job opportunities are available in rural areas, our children do not need to move to the cities and towns to find jobs,” Sudin said.

Besides demanding 10 percent of the APBN for rural development, the Parade Nusantara also demanded that village heads’ terms in office be extended from six years to eight or ten years.

The peaceful rally at the parliament building was expected to continue until late in the afternoon.

“We will wait until our demands are met,” said Jono, a village head from the Karanganyar region in Central Java.

The demonstrating village heads left their respective villages on Sunday and arrived in Jakarta on Monday morning to stage their protest rally.

Miftah, a village head from Tegal, Central Java, said he left Tegal on Sunday evening and arrived in Jakarta on Monday morning.

“We left on Sunday evening and arrived here on Monday morning. After the rally this evening we will return to Tegal by night train,” Miftah said.

Antara