The Jakarta Post (original link)
Berly Martawardaya , JAKARTA | Wed, 04/01/2009 11:08 AM | Opinion
The writer is a lecturer at FEUI and PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Siena-Italy and a member of the NU Professional Circle
Berly Martawardaya , JAKARTA | Wed, 04/01/2009 11:08 AM | Opinion
In the still of the early morning last Friday, gushing water from what was the Situ Gintung dam swept away the community living beneath it. As of this writing, close to 100 people in the Cireundeu area have been found dead and more than another hundred are still missing. Indonesia is grief stricken.
How could this happen? This is the age of the Internet and instant communication. Current technology could alert us to an asteroid approaching Earth from a million kilometers away. But this tragedy occurred in Jakarta, not some faraway, hard to reach area.
Unlike the Aceh tsunami, we cannot blame God for this — only ourselves.
While there has been a movement to reform the legal legacy of the Dutch colonial administration, there has been little attention paid to conserving its physical legacy, except for when potential tourist dollars are at stake.
Realizing the potential and peril of the Pesanggarahan River; in 1932 the Dutch built a dam to hold 2.1 million cubic meters of water in a 23-hectare area. Since then, many trees have been cut down and floods are more frequent; it seems that the Indonesian government has not done much to improve the dam.
We could not help but be saddened by reports that the foundations of the dam were weakened as surrounding communities salvaged building materials. This proved to be a very costly act of vandalism indeed.
Nevertheless, the government is not off the hook, ultimate responsibly for maintenance and preservations of public facilities lies with them. The all too frequent sinking of passenger ships and crumbling of bridges should be seen in same light; insufficient maintenance is to blame.
So what needs to be done?
First, the government needs to allocate funds from the Rp 17 trillion (US$1.5 billion) budget intended for infrastructure repair as part of a recent stimulus package for a comprehensive assessment of the country’s infrastructure. Bridges, dams and ships should be the priority, as they have the greatest potential for casualties.
The assessment of existing facilities, preferably by independent specialists, will not be as exciting and glamorous as establishing new ones is. No public ribbon cutting ceremonies with glitzy media coverage (not to mention, there would be less of a chance to embezzle funds) - just the nuts and bolts of governing for the people.
The rebuilding and rehabilitation of public infrastructure would be a massive, labor-intensive undertaking that would channel money to low-income people. High-income groups would too benefit from the high impact improved infrastructure would have on the national economy. We could also reallocate some Rp 56.3 trillion in tax-cuts of the stimulus to strengthen existing infrastructure.
Second, we need a thorough assessment of buildings located nearby rivers and other natural reserves. Bodies of water need clean areas around them to properly absorb water, and building on these areas can have disastrous consequences.
The harder part will be to assess the impact of legal but environmentally damaging construction. Teams of experts should follow rivers and other flood-prone areas to determine whether the establishment of water reservoirs is necessary. Don’t let the poor suffer to satisfy a few people’s greed.
New measures to transform the few remaining lakes and swamps into urban real estate should be resisted. Mother Nature is hurting and its time we listened to her.
The third measure should be an intensive public education campaign. The people should be made aware that the weakening of public facilities can endanger everyone’s life.
As direct beneficiaries, nearby communities should be fervent protectors. A clear line of reporting needs to be established, so the people know what to do if a crack or splinter in public infrastructure is spotted.
Some form of reward and encouragement for this potentially life saving measure needs to be established. Meanwhile, we need stern punishment for the vandals .
How could this happen? This is the age of the Internet and instant communication. Current technology could alert us to an asteroid approaching Earth from a million kilometers away. But this tragedy occurred in Jakarta, not some faraway, hard to reach area.
Unlike the Aceh tsunami, we cannot blame God for this — only ourselves.
While there has been a movement to reform the legal legacy of the Dutch colonial administration, there has been little attention paid to conserving its physical legacy, except for when potential tourist dollars are at stake.
Realizing the potential and peril of the Pesanggarahan River; in 1932 the Dutch built a dam to hold 2.1 million cubic meters of water in a 23-hectare area. Since then, many trees have been cut down and floods are more frequent; it seems that the Indonesian government has not done much to improve the dam.
We could not help but be saddened by reports that the foundations of the dam were weakened as surrounding communities salvaged building materials. This proved to be a very costly act of vandalism indeed.
Nevertheless, the government is not off the hook, ultimate responsibly for maintenance and preservations of public facilities lies with them. The all too frequent sinking of passenger ships and crumbling of bridges should be seen in same light; insufficient maintenance is to blame.
So what needs to be done?
First, the government needs to allocate funds from the Rp 17 trillion (US$1.5 billion) budget intended for infrastructure repair as part of a recent stimulus package for a comprehensive assessment of the country’s infrastructure. Bridges, dams and ships should be the priority, as they have the greatest potential for casualties.
The assessment of existing facilities, preferably by independent specialists, will not be as exciting and glamorous as establishing new ones is. No public ribbon cutting ceremonies with glitzy media coverage (not to mention, there would be less of a chance to embezzle funds) - just the nuts and bolts of governing for the people.
The rebuilding and rehabilitation of public infrastructure would be a massive, labor-intensive undertaking that would channel money to low-income people. High-income groups would too benefit from the high impact improved infrastructure would have on the national economy. We could also reallocate some Rp 56.3 trillion in tax-cuts of the stimulus to strengthen existing infrastructure.
Second, we need a thorough assessment of buildings located nearby rivers and other natural reserves. Bodies of water need clean areas around them to properly absorb water, and building on these areas can have disastrous consequences.
The harder part will be to assess the impact of legal but environmentally damaging construction. Teams of experts should follow rivers and other flood-prone areas to determine whether the establishment of water reservoirs is necessary. Don’t let the poor suffer to satisfy a few people’s greed.
New measures to transform the few remaining lakes and swamps into urban real estate should be resisted. Mother Nature is hurting and its time we listened to her.
The third measure should be an intensive public education campaign. The people should be made aware that the weakening of public facilities can endanger everyone’s life.
As direct beneficiaries, nearby communities should be fervent protectors. A clear line of reporting needs to be established, so the people know what to do if a crack or splinter in public infrastructure is spotted.
Some form of reward and encouragement for this potentially life saving measure needs to be established. Meanwhile, we need stern punishment for the vandals .
The writer is a lecturer at FEUI and PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Siena-Italy and a member of the NU Professional Circle
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