Provinces 'better prepared' for disaster than Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several provinces are better prepared to deal with natural disasters than Jakarta, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said Friday.

"There are six provincial administrations that are the most concerned with weather changes as well as natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis," agency head Sri Woro B. Harijono said during a meeting with members of the Regional Representatives Council.

She said the provinces of West Sumatra, Lampung, Banten, Central Java, Maluku and Gorontalo were all well prepared for any disaster.

"For instance, Gorontalo provincial administration was the first to request the agency install a server to detect earthquakes and tsunamis," Sri told reporters.

The server is equipped with software that will automatically alert local citizens with sirens whenever an earthquake is detected.

The Gorontalo administration, she said, paid to have one installed in the middle of last year. West Sumatra then followed suit.

"Meanwhile, Central Java and Lampung have provided, respectively, a building for a climatology monitoring station and a plot of land for a weather radar tower," she said.

The Jakarta administration, however, is notable only for its lack of action, she said.

"The Jakarta administration has yet to take such action as the other six provinces," Sri said.

"May be the administration thinks that the city is not on the continental plate that might cause earthquakes and tsunamis," she added.

She said that her agency had sent a prediction for torrential rain to the administration on Feb. 1 at 00:20 a.m., a day before the floods hit Jakarta.

"Concerned institutions that receive data sent by the agency should take follow-up action," Sri said.

The Jakarta Public Works Agency's water resources development division said it had acted after receiving the forecast.

"We disseminated the information to related institutions. We also began operating flood posts for victims, shortly after we received the information," the head of the division, I Gede Nyoman Soewandi, told The Jakarta Post.

"We did not, however, predict that the heavy rain would cause this much damage," he added.

So far the flooding in Greater Jakarta has killed 54 people, forced at least 340,000 from their homes, and left more than 200,000 homeless.

Prih Harjadi, deputy for data systems and information at the BMG, said the dissemination of such information needed to be comprehensive and support public awareness and preparedness for natural disasters.

"Sophisticated technology to disseminate information swiftly will not be useful should the people be unaware and unprepared," said Prih.

"Local administrations should also take part in increasing public awareness and preparedness for natural disasters. The administrations should make a plan to help residents evacuate when a natural disaster occurs," he added.

Banning motorcyclists not the right solution

Deden Rukmana, The Jakarta Post

Jakarta's governor, Sutiyoso, has proposed banning motorcyclists from Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman and Jl. Rasuna Said as a result of the skyrocketing number of motorcycles in Jakarta. Apparently, the governor does not want to see Jakarta become a second Hanoi, where motorcyclists dominate the streets.

Unsurprisingly, the idea of banning motorcycles from main thoroughfares in Jakarta drew protests from motorcyclists, including ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers. They argue the idea is misconceived and violates their rights to use the public highway.

Is the idea of banning motorcycles from main thoroughfares really misconceived? Is the increased dominance of motorcycles on the streets a bad thing?

It is clear that the increase in the number of motorcycles reduces the capacity of streets in Jakarta. The development of the capital's road network has not kept pace with the growth in motor vehicle ownership in Jakarta. The growth in the overall length of Jakarta's roads is only 1 to 2 percent per annum. On the other hand, motor vehicle ownership is growing by around 15 percent per year.

One way to reduce the congestion is to shift people from private transportation to public transportation. Do we have a public transport system that is accessible, affordable and integrated for people living in metropolitan Jakarta? I doubt it, and this is why we are seeing an increasing number of motorcycles in Jakarta. Friends say that people who live in the outskirts of Jakarta can save as much as 30 percent of their transportation costs when they ride their motorcycles to work rather than taking public transport.

There are some positive aspects of the increasing number of motorcycles in Jakarta. This phenomenon provides evidence of the ability of working people to meet their transportation needs. It is a good sign of accelerating economic growth. The automotive sector is a major part of the consumption variable in GDP. This consumption variable accounted for 64 percent of Indonesia's GDP in 2005. Even though we have still not fully recovered from the economic crisis, working people have been able to satisfy their transportation needs and contribute to economic growth.

As the number of motorcycles grows, we will see positive multiplier effects in our economy. We will see more motorcycle dealers, finance firms that provide the loans for the purchase of motorcycles, more jobs for motorcycle mechanics, and increasing demand for helmets, jackets, sunglasses, etc.

The uses of motorcycles in Jakarta also demonstrates the sacrifices made by working people to get to work. Driving a motorcycle requires more energy than riding on public transportation. It is even worse when the weather is bad. We should give motorcyclists credit for their sacrifices.

Of course, there are also negative aspects of the increasing number of motorcycles. The number of accidents involving motorcyclists grew by 25 percent per year over the last three years. This figure is much higher than the equivalent figure for cars. A total of 1,128 recorded fatalities resulted from traffic accidents in Jakarta in 2006, and 857 of those involved motorcycles. The primary causes of these accidents were reckless driving by motorcyclists, defective motorcycles and poor law enforcement.

In the next five to ten years, we will need to accommodate further growth in the number of motorcycles as we develop our public transportation system. We need to develop a metropolitan transportation system that recognizes motorcycles as one of the main transportation modes, along with automobiles and public transportation. The idea of banning motorcycles from main thoroughfares is not the right solution. It will not reduce the adverse effects of increasing numbers of motorcycles. Instead, it will only serve to relocate these effects. It will cost motorcyclists more to get to work and retard economic growth.

However, the setting aside of special lanes for motorcycles along designated roads in Jakarta is a good idea. It accommodates the rights of motorcyclists while providing safer road conditions for everyone in Jakarta.

Deden Rukmana, Ph.D, is an assistant professor of Urban Studies at Savannah State University in the U.S.

Jakarta going down drain

The recent floods have laid bare numerous problems in the planning and management of Jakarta, and hopefully also have taught us many lessons. One fact clearly worth recording is that Greater Jakarta lacks an adequate and proper drainage system.

Those drainage systems that do exist in both residential areas, including exclusive housing complexes, and public places are clearly not up to the task of channeling water during big storms.

Stroll along a major thoroughfare in any large city in Europe or the U.S., and you can see just how large and clean the underground drainage system is; large enough, in fact, for a person to walk through.

Jakarta, with a population of at least 10 million, does not have large, properly integrated drains. The result, as we have all seen this past week, is flooding.

The best drainage systems are said to be those around the Presidential Palace, including along Jl. Merdeka Utara, Jl. Majapahit, Jl. Veteran and Jl. Juanda, which were built during the Dutch colonial era. However, these areas were inundated when the city was flooded in 2002, because of the poor maintenance of connecting drains.

Though parts of the city flood whenever there is a major rainstorm, there has been no effort on the part of the administration or residents to fix Jakarta's drainage system.

The numerous wires and pipes criss-crossing the drains under the main thoroughfare of Jl. Thamrin have made them more vulnerable to clogs. This is just one example of the administration's lack of attention to the drainage system.

Given the many waterways and drains that become clogged during rainy days, it is clear the drainage systems in Jakarta's five mayoralties are poorly integrated. And now, with Jakarta practically a megacity, with areas of West Jakarta and Banten, integrated drainage systems are even more crucial.

However, it is doubtful that the administrations of Depok, Tangerang, Bogor and Bekasi consult the Jakarta administration on the issue of integrated drainage systems when they undertake big new projects, like the building of malls or housing complexes and industrial estates.

But Jakarta alone cannot create an integrated drainage system among it, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek). In a time when coordination has become a rarity in government, the Jakarta administration must work with neighboring administrations to deal with this issue.

For these administrations, it is clear that developers must be required to build proper drainage systems before new malls and housing complexes are built.

The next step would then be to ensure developers live up to this requirement, which is not often the case. Officials in charge of issuing permits to developers have been known to look the other way for a price. Clearly, the administration must improve its control system.

Another necessary step is involving the public in keeping drains and waterways clear. The most obvious area that needs addressing is to stop people from dumping garbage into waterways, clogging the city's sluice gates.

The city ordinance prohibiting people from littering has not worked, to say the least. Enforcement of the ordinance has been limp, with no one we have heard of ever being fined for littering.

With the worst of the floods having hopefully passed, the city administration must find a way to manage Jakarta's waterways.

A review of the existing drainage system is necessary, despite the fact that the project will be costly. Also, a law needs to be issued requiring developers to establish appropriate drainage systems before they are issued permits to build malls or housing and industrial complexes.

Residents who dump garbage into waterways must be punished, and each mayoralty must undertake regular controls on their drainage systems. Protecting Jakarta from flood will require an all-out national effort, and a proper drainage system is just one part of this effort.

Surabaya to develop busway corridor next year

SURABAYA, East Java (Antara): Second largest Indonesian city of Surabaya is expected to develop busway next year, taking an example from the success of a similar project in Jakarta.

"As the second largest city in the country, Surabaya deserves to have busway corridors," Directorate General of Land Transportation Iskandar Abubakar was quoted by Antara newsagency as saying Friday.

He said the development of busway will reduce independency of Surabaya daily travelers on private vehicles, which sparks traffic congestions.

Jakarta currently has developed seven out of 15 busway corridors targeted to complete by 2010 as part of the effort to ease traffic congestions in the capital and to reduce people's dependency to private vehicles -- motorcycles and cars.

City 'can't go it alone' on flood control master plan

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It is now one of the most frequently put questions: "Does the Jakarta administration have a drainage and flood mitigation master plan?"

The answer is, yes.

"But it's been difficult to materialize ... We expected the central government to take it over," city secretary Ritola Tasmaya said Thursday during a meeting with the Regional Representatives Council.

The master plan -- consisting of a land-structuring control system; drainage system repair; sluice gate and artificial lake construction; river dredging and the relocation of riverside residential areas -- was drafted in 2002, after a huge flood hit the city.

Besides the difficulties of putting the plan into practice without the full support of the administrations of the upland cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, the plan was delayed due to the change of government in 2004, Ritola said.

He said the project, which required a total investment of Rp 18.2 trillion, should be taken over by the central government to spare it from the same fate as the East Flood Canal project, which was initially scheduled for completion this year, but was delayed until 2010 due to unforeseen problems, including budget cuts and the complicated process of land acquisition.

The drainage plan was drafted more than 20 years ago, but it focuses only on releasing floodwater as fast as possible into the sea.

The plan, made available to The Jakarta Post, shows the 13 rivers that run through the river blocked by huge canals that stop them from reaching low-lying areas.

The drainage system includes the Dutch-built West Flood Canal, the East Flood Canal and Cengkareng Drain.

"The canals would intercept floodwater from all rivers before it reached low-lying areas," said I Gede Nyoman Soewandi, the head of the Jakarta Public Works Agency's water resources development division.

The reconstruction of the more than 60-year-old canals will increase their capacity, he added.

The master plan, reworked by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, shows the only way to utilize rainwater for the purposes of effective urban water control is to protect lakes in southern Jakarta.

Asked whether the administration would revise the master plan due to the sharp decrease in water catchment areas both in Jakarta and its supporting regions, I Gede Nyoman acknowledged the administration was facing difficulties in realizing it.

"Even if we landscaped a one-kilometer stretch of the river, there would be a five-km section that had been damaged by human activity. That's why we've set no deadline for realizing the plan.

"The riverbanks are getting more crowded, forcing land prices up. The rivers have lost their ability to reestablish their natural functions"

The total length of rivers in the city is about 500 km.

The administration has conceded being late to establish drainage strategies to accommodate the volume of water entering the city from upland areas.

Only 2.9 percent of Jakarta has been utilized for its drainage system, lower than the recommended 8 percent.

Environmentalists say the lack of green space in the city has increased the flood risk.

Green areas account for 5,911 hectares or 9 percent of city land.

The administration plans to make 9,544 hectares, or 13.94 percent of city land, open and green space by 2010.

Governor Sutiyoso said the diminishing catchment areas in Bogor, Puncak and Depok had also contributed to the recent flood, which left 70 percent of the capital under water.

Residents get wind of sluice gate rumors

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Head pounding, Cengkareng sluice gate operator Syaifuddin was trying to catch some shut-eye after three nights on his feet when 30 or more residents of Rawa Buaya in West Jakarta stormed into his house.

Frustrated by the extent of the flood damage to their homes, they insisted that Syaifuddin opened the sluice gate wider.

"Look at that," he said, indicating the cables that held the gate. "It has been pulled to the max."

Realizing they were not going to get very far, the residents retreated, muttering to themselves that the gate operator had been bribed by the residents of a riverside housing complex.

"People have been demanding we go to the Cengkareng Drain and force the operator to open the gate," said H. Mahmud, a neighborhood unit chief in Rawa Buaya, two days after the incident.

"They have been led to believe the flood is worse than the last major inundation in 2002 because the gate was not fully opened."

"Luckily I've been able to talk some sense in to them -- they can see for themselves that it (the gate) has been opened," Mahmud said.

Five years ago, when many areas of the city were affected by floods, including Rawa Buaya, rumors swirled that residents of Pantai Indah Kapuk had bribed the operator not to let extra water flow into their area.

Fauzi, who lives right beside Cengkareng Drain, said Army officers had guarded the gate in 2002.

"But, this time round, we know for sure the gate has been open since Saturday."

All rumors aside, there are obvious connections between the land surface characteristics of Pantai Indah Kapuk and the movement of the floodwaters.

The complex lies in a former conservation zone. As the land was converted from woodlands to residential area it lost its ability to absorb water.

Flood control structures and a sewer system -- the ponder system -- were built to aid in removing excess rainwater from the complex. While this protected the complex, it increased the risk of flooding elsewhere.

The conflict is similar to the argument between residents of Kelapa Gading and Sunter -- both in North Jakarta -- in 2002, over whether the sluice gate at Sunter would be opened.

Then, there were also rumors of a manufacturing company hiring Army officers to guard the gate.

While the phrase "money talks" is true of Jakarta, relying on hearsay can be just as dangerous as the flood itself.

"In times like this, we just do not know who or what to believe," Mahmud said. "I think it was only natural for residents to be angered by such rumors."

Sociologist Imam B. Prasodjo criticized the authorities for failing to professionally manage information in times of disaster.

"People must constantly be updated during a situation like this," he said. "Otherwise, they jump to the wrong conclusions."

"That is what we get when the body that handles disaster is managed by politicians and not professionals."

Learning our lesson: Will Jakarta sink again?

Andrio Adiwibowo, Jakarta

The sky over Jakarta was bright and everything seemed peaceful on Wednesday. However, if you turned on the television and watched the news, you would have been surprised to see the reality.

The capital city, the center of power and government in Indonesia, has been struck by floods and paralyzed for almost a week, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced and buildings damaged. The flooding covered 70 percent of Jakarta at one point. At least 314,000 Jakartans were directly affected and millions more indirectly due to electricity outages, disrupted telecommunication networks and water and gasoline supplies, and traffic congestion.

Jakarta is not blessed with great geographical conditions. It is located in the lowlands, near the sea, and is crossed by 13 rivers flowing down from the south. Yearly rainfall is more than 2,000 millimeters and there is rarely a year without floods. Another time bomb is the rapid population growth and urbanization.

These factors have combined to cause such urban cancers as massive land conversion, which continues to occur at full speed. The Jakarta floods are a microcosm of a much greater national problem. Regulations are ignored at will by the kings of the construction industry, real estate players and industrial bullies who run factories that ignore the surrounding environment.

A century ago, the Dutch colonial government reminded city planners that the development of Batavia, as Jakarta was then known, should focus carefully on the waterways. The Dutch, with their long experience in controlling water and drainage systems, made sure that Batavia had a comprehensive and engineered network of rivers, drains and canals to cope with the weaknesses of man and acts of God.

Nevertheless, the Dutch canal system never quite managed to cope with the drainage problems. For instance, in 1846, almost a century before Indonesia's independence, they chose the same approach as the current administration: to sort out the problems only when floods happened.

After the major floods in 2002, the Jakarta government declared a drive to prevent future flooding, but the campaign quickly faded away. At about the same time government officials proposed the creation of a megacity that would cover all of Greater Jakarta. The core of the concept was that the development of Jakarta, including its flood control system, should be coordinated with the four satellite regions of Tangerang, Bekasi, Bogor and Depok.

But the economic interests of the respective administrations thwarted the plan. The plan recommended that the satellite regions, mainly Bogor, put a brake on development and land conversion. Bogor considered the idea discriminatory and pledged to continue its development programs. The other satellite regions danced to Bogor's tune.

Sometimes, coordination has its price. The solution offered here is that Jakarta has to provide a lavish budget to buy land in Bogor that can serve as water catchment areas. Another strategy is to provide incentives for landlords or stakeholders to help in land preservation.

Managing the environment at a moderate level may be more promising. Instead of doing some acrobatic land-based preservation, one should emphasize the management of the Ciliwung River, which runs across Jakarta and Bogor. However, there are still dangers. The Bogor authorities will view everything that is dumped into the water yet has passed through its territory as not being its problem or responsibility.

Managing flooding is not just about how to keep people from water, but how to get people out of water to safety. Experiences from past disasters provide us a big picture of how poor the government's post-disaster management is. Some problems always on the menu are the poor availability of instant food, dry clothes, clean water and medicines for particular diseases. The authorities are now facing demanding challenge to accelerate the delivery of aid.

The next principle issue is policy. Most policies on environmental management are immature and being planned and applied only for the short term. On the other hand, environmental processes and problem are long term. We have assumed that within five years major flood would strike, unfortunately, the plan was only effective for one year.

The laissez-faire attitude toward the environment by human enterprises has caused one disaster after another. The immense destruction of rain forests takes place far away from Jakarta, but the message is the same: taking firm action only when the river of grievances overflows. One should notice how much the irresponsible behavior of Indonesians affects the severity of the "natural" disaster now under way in Jakarta

Right now the water has begun to dry up, as is our memory of yesterday's floods. Thus, we will forget and fail to learn. We assume nothing has happened, as if it's business as usual. If we continue to dance to the same tune, then what happened yesterday will recur, perhaps on an even larger scale. Apparently, the people of Jakarta had better learn to swim.

The writer holds a master's degree from the University of Queensland, majoring in Tropical Natural Resource Management, and teaches Landscape Ecology and Natural Resources Management Policy at the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, Jakarta.

Govt says no food shortages in Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government on Wednesday assured flood victims in Greater Jakarta that the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) was prepared to release rice and other food stocks to prevent shortages.

Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah said officials in flood-stricken areas of Jakarta and surrounding cities were able to obtain food stocks from Bulog as the need arose.

"We have a leftover stock of rice from 2006 of 300,000 tons, and I can assure you that officials in flood-affected areas can access this rice at any time without permission from me," Bachtiar said after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Bachtiar said the government had set aside 200 tons of rice per day for flood victims.

According to data from the Social Services Ministry, as of Wednesday more than 225,000 flood victims were seeking refuge in Greater Jakarta.

Most of these displaced people are in South Jakarta, where more than 80,000 people are sheltering in mosques, railway stations, schools and cemeteries. In East Jakarta, more than 45,000 people are living in temporary shelters.

Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions have sparked fears of outbreaks of disease.

The head of the national bird flu commission, Bayu Krisnamurti, has warned that the floods could intensify the spread of the HN51 virus to humans.

The death toll from the floods -- which at their peak forced some 340,000 people from their homes -- rose to at least 50 on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said. Most of the fatalities were due to drowning or electrocution.

Minister Bachtiar said the government would provide families of the deceased Rp 2 million (about US$220) in compensation.

"All the families need to get the compensation is a letter from their local social services agency," he said.

Meanwhile, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said the supply of goods to Jakarta was expected to return to normal in the next few days.

"What we have to do now is convince suppliers from outside of Jakarta that all access routes to Jakarta are open and safe," Mari said.

She said the Jakarta Police have agreed to guarantee safe passage for goods entering the capital.

"We had a meeting Tuesday with associations of food and beverage producers, owners of land transportation vehicles and the Jakarta Police, in which the police agreed to provide daily updates on road conditions and access to Jakarta," Mari said.

She said the government's priority now was to ensure the supply of goods to Jakarta returned to normal as soon as possible.

Mari also said the government would continue efforts to ensure rice prices did not rise and hurt flood victims.

Indonesian-Malaysian team to bid for Jakarta toll road project

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - State-owned toll road building company PT Jasa Marga said it will team up with PT Astratel and Malaysia's Cahaya Mata Serawak Bhd in a tender for the construction of a toll road in Jakarta.

Jasa Marga is eyeing the projects of Serpong-Kunciran and the Kunciran-Cengkareng sections of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road, expected to cost around Rp4.4 trillion (US$488.8 million).

Jasa Maga president Frans Satyaki Sunito said Jasa Marga wants to maintain a majority share in the consortium with the two partners.

Toll Road Tariffs to Increase 20 Percent in August

Wednesday, 07 February, 2007 | 15:51 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The tariffs of 11 toll roads will be increased by around 20 percent on August 24.

The increase is being put into effect because these toll road tariffs have not been raised since 2005.

“This tariff adjustment is in order to make balances due to inflation,” said Hisnu Pawenang, Head of the Toll Road Management Regulatory Agency at Public Works Department, at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, yesterday (6/2).

Based on Tempo data, the eleven toll roads are located in almost throughout Indonesia except the Jakarta Outer Toll Road, the Sedyatmo Toll Road (to Soekarno-Hatta Airport), the Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang Toll Road (Cipularang) and the Pondok Aren-Ulujami Toll Road.

“Don't increase the tariffs that easily. Improve the service and the infrastructure first,” said Yosef Umar Hadi, Deputy Head of the Infrastructure Commission, reading out the meeting’s conclusions.

Ewo Raswa

Japan Brings Weather Research to Indonesia

Wednesday, 07 February, 2007 | 16:21 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Agency for the Assessment & Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Japan Marine Science & Technology Center (JAMSTEC) are cooperating in atmosphere dynamics research by installing various weather radars in the Indonesias region.

The research, which is called Hydrometeorological Array for Intraseasonal Variation Monsoon Automonitoring (HARIMAU), is aimed at improving weather forecast techniques so that rains that cause flooding, like what is happening currently, can be better anticipated.

In a workshop introducing HARIMAU yesterday (6/2), Professor Manabu Yamanaka from JAMSTEC said the radars that will be installed can monitor winds in a radius of up to 300 kilometers.

The radar that will be installed in Serpong, for example, will be able to monitor the realtime wind map in Jakarta, Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang.

Yamanaka said that the six radars, comprising X and C-band Doppler Radars and also Wind Profiler Radars, in many locations in Indonesia cannot work independently.

“They must be combined with radars and weather stations belonging to BMG (the Meteorology & Geophysics Agency),” he said.

In addition to monitoring weather anomalies like what is currently happening in Jakarta, HARIMAU can also produce information that can also be used for other interests such as sowing periods, transportation and air pollution.

wuragil

Train accidents are products of sabotage, minister says

JAKARTA (Antara): Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said Wednesday that series of train accidents across the country were result of sabotage against the public transportation facility as part of efforts to harm its services.

"I have long suspected ... and there is an indication that an accident in Serdang Bedagai regency, North Sumatara was a result of sabotage," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying in Bekasi, West Java, Wednesday.

A train accident in Serdang Bedagai, some 45 kilometers south of North Sumatara provincial capital of Medan on Tuesday was the latest train accident. Dozens of people suffered from minor and serious wounds.

Previously, there are a number of accidents like in Banyumas, Central Java, Cirebon West Java, Blitar in East Java, and in Jakarta. Those accidents did not only cause delays of train departures, but also causing dead like one in Banyumas, which killed at least five.

Indications of sabotage against the train service across the country include planting explosive on train tracks, cutting rail tracks, and placing speed breakers on tracks.

Hatta said he had ordered Director General for Train Affairs Soemino Eko Saputro to cooperate with the National Polite Headquarters and the National Intelligent Body (BIN) to investigate incident in North Sumatra.

"I believe it is not an accident, but it was caused by an extraordinary crime because metal plate and concrete were placed on train track," according to the minister.

Previously, Serdang Bedagai police chief Adj. Corm. C.P. Nasution said that there is an indication of sabotage in the train accident.

A Korean investor may invest in Bengkulu

BENGKULU (Antara): A South Korean investor has expressed interest to build railway in Bengkulu by visiting the province in Sumatra island.

"Today (Tuesday), the investor go to Padang Ulak Tanding, Rejang Lebong regency, which is the starting point for the planned railway. The investor will go to Pulau Baai port to see the last station," Bengkulu Governor Agustrin Maryono said.

He futher said if the investor agreed to invest in Bengkulu, the construction of the railway, which was planned to be financed with provincial budget, would be funded by the investor.

The investor is in the same group with giant firm Hyundai.

Auto dealers to provide special deals for flood-damaged cars

Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To assist customers whose cars have been damaged by the worst Jakarta floods in living memory, carmakers and dealers are preparing special "repair packages", and will also extend workshop hours.

"Based on our experiences in 2002, we are now preparing service packages for the repair of flood-damaged vehicles," said Jodjana Jody, sales general manager at Toyota Astra, the country's largest car producer.

Jody said that consultations would be held with service advisors in the workshops on how to handle the damage caused by the floods.

The floods in Jakarta over the last number of days damaged thousands of cars. The damage was not confined to vehicles that were attempting to pass through floods, but also affected cars parked at residences after floodwaters rose as high as 1.5 meters in some areas due to the heavy rain that started Thursday night and continued until Sunday.

This year's floods are widely regarded as being worse than the massive floods that hit Jakarta and its surrounding areas in February, 2002.

However, no Toyota official dealerships or workshops were inundated, even though the floods affected some 60 percent of the city.

"We will make sure that all spare parts are on hand and that our workshops stay open longer," Jody said.

Regarding the "service packages", Jody said that they would be based on how badly the car's engine had been affected by the water, and that the cost would likely range from Rp 3.5 million up to more than Rp 10 million.

"In some of the cases in 2002, drivers kept on trying to proceed even though the engine was covered by water. This is where the 'water hammer' effect kicks in. Water gets sucked into the engine, causing piston failure," Jody said.

"Electrical equipment and seating normally need to be replaced after water damage. For the seating in a Toyota Kijang, it could cost up to Rp 4 million," he explained.

Jody said that drivers should turn off their engines after the water goes over the engine hood, and wait until the water has drained out of the engine before starting it up again.

Besides Astra, Honda is also considering providing special service packages to its customers.

"We haven't decided about what we will do in relation to the floods as we have only had a few emergency calls so far. Perhaps our customers are busy with more pressing things besides fixing their cars," said Honda sales general manager Jonfis Fandy.

"However, we provide a 24-hour towing service for our Odyssey, Accord and New Civic customers. So far, we have pulled out three cars from the floods," he said.

Like Toyota, Jonfis said that service packages would likely be made available in Honda workshops over the next few weeks.

"The most common thing that happens when a car becomes submerged is damage to the electrical circuits. They usually burn out because the car is still running when the water breaches the circuit insulation," he explained.

Meanwhile, PT BMW Indonesia said it already provided a comprehensive, 24-hour hot-line service for customers in trouble, with the help on offer including free towing.

"All of our customers are aware of the emergency hot line. Should anything happen, we will always tow the car to the nearest workshop. We were fortunate in that none of our workshops were affected by the floods," said corporate communications director Helena Abidin

Urban workers disappointed as trains have not fully been operated

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of workers, who rely on commuter trains, were disappointed Tuesday because state-owned railway operator PT KAI only operate one electricity train from Serpong in Tangerang to Palmerah in Central Jakarta.

Thousands workers have to find other transportations to reach their workplaces in Jakarta or just returned home because three executive trains, which usually serve them, were just parked inSerpong station.

PT KAI stopped the operation of Serpong-Tanah Abang route on last Friday because Tanah Abang station in Central Jakarta was inundated by water overflowing from West Flood Canal.

The operation began on Saturday but only with one train serving Serpong-Palmerah.

Usually, Serpong Tanah-Abang route was served by two economic class electricity trains, and three executive-class trains. A number of diesel trains from Rangkas Bitung and Merak in Banten province also passed through the track

Quick Processing For Apec Cardholders Available At US Airports

By Mohd Arshi Daud & Nor Baizura Basri

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Holders of the Apec Business Travel Card (ABTC) can now enjoy expeditious processing at international airports in the United States, US Senior Official to Apec, Michael W. Michalak, said.

"It is (effective now). You still have to have a visa to enter the US but if you have an Apec Business Travel Card, you will be able to go through the crew lane at international airports in the US

"Believe me, if you haven't been to the Chicago Airport, going through the crew lane is going to save you a whole lot of time," he told Bernama in a recent interview.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, among the world's busiest airports, is also among the largest airports with no less than 162 aircraft gates covering an area of 3,080 hectares.

During the Apec Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam in November 2006, the US announced plans to implement the ABTC at some of its international airports, embassies and consulates.

In other ABTC participating countries, Apec businessmen could travel without separately applying for a visa. The carholders enjoy a three-year re-entry permit to these countries.

Apec members which have signed up to ABTC are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ABTC system was established in 1996 and is designed to complement Apec's agenda of fostering regional trade.

"I think right now, US businessmen are applying for the cards. We are working with Apec to make sure that in the US, we can issue the cards to our own business people," said Michalak, who was here last for Apec's Senior Economic Officials meeting.

Michalak said that other Apec members are joining the ABTC system.

"Once we instituted our system, Canada, which has begun a pilot programme, would follow something rather similar to what we are doing and I heard that Russia and Mexico are now considering how they may also join ABTC.

"I'm hopeful that we will be able to have the entire Apec family using the travel cards in the near future."

On another note, Michalak said the US looks forward for a robust agenda in this year's meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), which Australia is hosting.

"We certainly look forward to a very robust agenda, particularly in the field of trade and economic liberalisation," he said.

"We recognise that you can't have prosperity without security and there will be some trade related security issues such as airport security and container which we continue to look on.

Apec 2007 involves a series of meetings, at the senior officials and ministerial level, culminating in the Apec Economic Leaders' Meeting in Sydney in September 2007.

Apec is the premimier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia Pacific region.

Apec groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russsia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.

Michalak said Apec 2007 would also deliberate on strengthening the Apec secretariat including giving it more analytical power and to increase its resources so that the secretariat could deepen some of its work on capacity building.

The US, he said, wants to tighten the agenda within Apec so that the Apec secretariat could be strengthened to better serve the senior officials and the rest of Apec process.

"We have some 44 or 47 different working groups within Apec and we are looking to see (whether) we really need that many, can we slim it down, can we combine certain working groups, how can we make it more efficient?"

The secretariat would also make better use of information technology and would be receiving funds to enhance its operations from a few Apec member countries, said Michalak.

"The (US) president said that we will put in our budget request for fiscal year 2007 and 2008, (i.e.) US$5 million each year to work on capacity building within Apec.

"China has recently committed US$2 million a year for three years while Japan has offered to fund some extra research capability for the secretariat.

"I think there are lot of things going on to try and put more resources into the organisation to make it more efficient and improve our ability in capacity building," he said.

Press sees neglect behind Jakarta floods

BBC News

One paper praises the way Jakartans are supporting each other

Several papers across Indonesia say that poor city management has exacerbated the flooding in Jakarta, where hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless.

Some also blame the city's inhabitants for failing to keep the city clean, although one paper points out that the floods have also showed "the strength and unity of Jakartans".

And one daily argues that if Jakarta cannot avoid being flooded, then the capital must be relocated "for the sake of the image of the nation".

Read More ....

Samarinda inundated over past five days

Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Samarinda, East Kalimantan`s provinicial capital, has been inundated since last Thursday (Jan 31) due to the overflowing of Karang Mumus River.

Traffics was disturbed as many of the city`s main roads were flooded by 50-cm-deep flood waters.

Many of the city`s residents in flood-affected areas evacuated themselves to safer areas, mostly to houses of relatives living in flood-free parts of the city.

Incessant downpours falling in Samarinda over the past few days had caused the Karang Mumus River to overflow.

Yudhoyono tells Greater Jakarta to mitigate annual flooding

JAKARTA (Antara): President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered authorities in the Greater Jakarta to design a concrete program to mitigate annual floods in the region, which often killed many people and damaged houses, properties and infrastructures.

"We need a joint serious effort to mitigate floods," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying in sideline of his visit to flood victims in Bekasi municipality Sunday.

This year flooding killed at least 20 people across the Greater Jakarta -- Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi, and Tangerang -- and displaced about 200,000 others. Water also inundated railway tracks and damaged other infrastructures.

Massive flooding in the capital is frequently also sparked by heavy rains in the upper areas -- Depok and Bogor -- as water from the areas flowed to the city through Ciliwung River.

The president told the local administrations in the Greater Jakarta to immediately draft the plan and to calculate the cost of flood infrastructure.

Regional autonomy is blamed for the difficulty to design integrated flood mitigation projects because each administration in the Greater Jakarta has its own plan.

The Jakarta city administration often blamed authorities in upper areas for excessive use of lands in their territories for housings and other facilities, which cause serious damage of green areas, needed to be maintained for water conservation.

Meanwhile, authorities in the upper areas said Jakarta has to give compensation for lands in their respected territories, which should be maintained for water conservation.

So far, there has been no institution in the central administration, which has power and wish to mediate their disputes.

Jakarta business executives prefer staying at hotel during floods

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Business executives in flood-hit Jakarta at the end of their working day now prefer to retire to hotels closest to their offices rather than risk being trapped in flood-related traffic jams or other obstacles on their way to their own homes.

The risk of running into inconvenience, difficulty or trouble in Jakarta's streets has considerably increased since incessant rains over the past three days causing flooding in many parts of the Indonesian capital.

"Our hotel's occupancy rate has increased following the heavy rains and floods during the past two days. Businesss executives are reluctant to brave the rains and floods. So, after work hours, they check in at hotels," Sahid Jaya hotel public relations manager Megasari Rustianty said here.

She said more than 70 percent of Sahid Jaya's 670 rooms were booked during the past two days while previously occupancy only averaged 60 percent.

The business executives who actually live in Kelapa Gading, Kemang, Kwitang, Setiabudi, Mampang, Pesanggrahan, and Kampung Melayu areas checked in at the hotel without making reservations, she said

Other hotels in Central Jakarta's business districts also saw an increase in their occupancy rates.

"The same thing happened two years ago when wide areas of the capital's territory were inundated," Megasari said.

It was reported from Surabaya on Friday subscribers of state telecommunication company PT Telkom and its cellular telephone provider Telkomsel could not contact phone numbers in Jakarta on Friday when most parts of the capital city were inundated by floods.

East Java Telkom's communication manager Djadi Soegiarto blamed the telecommunication disruption on the Jakarta floods.

Vital telecommunication installations in the Semanggi area in Central Jakarta were submerged in flood waters so they could not function properly.

Meanwhile, a political observer at Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Cornelays, suggested that the center of the Indonesian government be moved from Jakarta to a location that could not be severely affected by annual floods.

"Perhaps we should pursue the late president Soekarno's idea to move the center of the government from Jakarta to either Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan) or Palu (Central Sulawesi) or former president Soeharto's plan to relocate the central government to the Jonggol area in West Java," he told ANTARA News from Yogyakarta.

But in Cornelays' own view, the center of Indonesia's administration should be moved to Banten province where Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International airport is located.

Indonesian Weather Agency Expects More Jakarta Rain

By Arijit Ghosh and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja

Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Jakarta, where 40 percent of the city is below sea level, may receive more rainfall, the Meteorology Agency said, even as Indonesian authorities were taking advantage of the first respite in three days to evacuate 42,000 people from flooded areas.

Jakarta may also suffer if areas such as Bogor, south of the capital, get more heavy rain, said Wasito Hadi, head of data and information at the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency. Rivers from the mountains of southern Java drain into Jakarta and may overflow their banks. Two days of heavy rain has already inundated much of the city. Jakarta received about 339 millimeters (13.6 inches) of rainfall yesterday, Hadi said.

``We are in the peak rainfall season, which extends from the middle of January to the middle of February,'' Hadi said today in a telephone interview in Jakarta. ``If Bogor has rainfall, it's a problem for Jakarta.''

The Ciomas and Puncak areas in Bogor, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Jakarta, have had heavy rainfall since this morning, ElShinta radio said. The water level in the Ciliwung- Katulampa dam has reached 2.5 meters and started to overflow, the radio said. It may reach Jakarta in the next 10 hours, the radio cited Andi, an official at the dam, as saying.

With 13 rivers flowing into the city of 8 million people, excess rain causes flooding almost every year because Jakarta's only flood canal hasn't enough capacity to handle the runoff. Floods in 2002 resulted in $1.1 billion of damage to property and in lost man-hours, according to Dutch company DHV.

`Not Qualified to Be Capital'

``Jakarta is geographically not qualified to be the capital city, but this is the reality,'' Sutiyoso, Jakarta's governor, said in an interview on Metro TV. ``We can't afford to move the capital city somewhere else.''

The government has debated building a second flood canal for the eastern part of the city, which was originally planned during the 1970s.

``If we don't build the east flood canal, one alternative is to build big lakes in the neighboring area,'' said Sutiyoso, who uses one name.

The government estimates an east flood canal would cost about 4.4 trillion rupiah ($440 million). It would complement the west flood canal, which was built by the Dutch in 1930.

The government is using the break in rainfall to evacuate people, Jakarta government spokesman Arie Budhiman said.

``We hope the weather is better today,'' Budhiman said today in a telephone interview. ``With no rain, the government'' can move faster to help people.

Roads, Power Supply

Some toll roads displayed signs that they were closed because stretches of the highways were submerged. Motorists were forced to use lanes dedicated to TransJakarta Busway on the city's main Sudirman road.

State electricity utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara said it had cut power to 1,680 electricity distribution boxes in areas that are under water, affecting as many as 800,000 homes, Mulyo Adji, general manager of supply and control at Listrik Negara, said in an interview on ElShinta radio today. The utility switched off power to prevent short circuits and deaths by electrocution.

Floods yesterday forced PT Bank Central Asia, the nation's second-biggest lender by assets, to close several branches, said Raymon Yonarto, the bank's corporate secretary.

About 70,000 telephone lines may have been cut as rising water damaged a central switch in the Semanggi area in Jakarta, Muhammad Awaluddin, spokesman at PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, the nation's biggest phone company, said yesterday.

Telekomunikasi's Internet service has also been disrupted, as the company turned off several data servers to prevent damage, Awaluddin said, without specifying how many users may have lost their connections.

Potential Investors in Garuda Indonesia to be Selected

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Several investors who are interested in investing in PT Garuda Indonesia Airlines now undergoing due diligence.

Sugiharto, the State Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, said that the selection will take place over two or three months.

The investors include the Rajawali Group from Indonesia as well as others from Europe and North America.

"This is being handled by the restructuring team," said Sugiharto in the Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, yesterday (1/2).

Sahala Lumban Gaol, Deputy to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, as the Garuda restructuring team chairperson did not comment.

Budi Riza

Sutiyoso insisted that subway must be built in 2008

BeritaJakarta.com Jakarta Governor, Sutiyoso, asked that the construction of subway in Jakarta can be made faster. Sutiyoso even insisted that subway must be built in 2008. “We just had a coordination meeting about technical problem and schedule programmed by Dept. of Transportation. We asked for the schedule to be made faster,” said Sutiyoso, after the meeting with the Minister of Transportation, Hatta Radjasa, discussing about Mass Rapid Transit System.

However, it seems that Sutiyoso’s request will be so hard to accomplish. It is because Dept. of Transportation is targeting the first step of prototype will be finished in 2 years. It means the physical construction will be started in 2009. “To be frankly, I’m disappointed that the discussion needs 2 years,” added Sutiyoso.

Sutiyoso insisted that the construction must be started in 2008 so that it will be finished in 2012. Therefore, his team will meet with the subway project team from Japan. “We’ll ask the schedule to be working in separate ways or parallel way, so that it’ll be much faster,” said Sutiyoso.

Sutiyoso said that subway will be constructed through dense population route starting from Lebak Bulus until Dukuh Atas for 14.5km in length. However, not all the route of subway Jakarta will be underground. From the total length of 14.5km, only 14km will be underground, which is the track Istora-Dukuh Atas (4 stations) and of 12 stations planned, only 5 stations will be underground. Meanwhile, the sky-train of 10.5km in length will be in the track Lebak Bulus-Senayan (8 stations). As for the subway depot will be in Lebak Bulus. “Subway project has been planned since 9 years ago. It’ll surely affect the investment in Jakarta,” added Sutiyoso.

Subway as a part of Macro Transportation Pattern is believed will make Jakarta traffic-free. It is predicted that Jakarta will be in the state of total traffic in 2014. To make the program possible, Jakarta government will start buying land from the citizens. The first budget Rp 80 billion has been prepared. The budget comes from 2007 Jakarta local budget.

Five dead, 100,000 displaced by floods in Indonesian capital

By Nabiha Shahab, AFP

At least five people have been killed in floods in Jakarta with more than 100,000 others forced to camp out at roadsides and in emergency shelters after days of torrential downpours.

With more rain forecast, disaster officials said they were struggling to cope. Hundreds of troops and navy personnel equipped with inflatable boats and rafts were deployed to help the capital's worst-hit areas.

"We have done the optimum effort to evacuate people but because of the number and the vast area to cover we hope people understand (the problems we are facing)," Sugeng Triutomo from the national disaster management body (Bakornas) told ElShinta radio.

More than 100,000 people had been displaced by the rainy-season floods, the state Antara news agency reported, citing Bakornas figures.

Bakornas official Sunardi said five people were killed and tens of thousands of homes flooded.

"We have yet to count offices, school buildings and hospitals inundated by the floods because we are still focusing on evacuating flood victims," he told Antara as the rains started again Saturday evening.

Hundreds of families were seen huddled together by roads on higher ground after fleeing their flooded homes in the city, which is criss-crossed by 13 rivers.

Water up to two metres (more than six feet) submerged areas of the city, including the upmarket Kelapa Gading housing complex in the north, which is usually less prone to flooding.

"I had to put my motorcycle in the university out there and walk in the floods to my house last night (Friday)," Kelapa Gading resident Najmi said.

"The water in front of my house is about one metre. We have been trapped here since yesterday morning," he told AFP Saturday.

Several other Kelapa Gading residents called ElShinta, saying some old people and pregnant women were trapped in their houses and needed evacuation.

Water, electricity supplies and telecommunications have been cut in several areas of the city due to the floods.

Search and rescue workers and nurses in inflatable boats were offering medical help to flood victims along the main Ciliwung river, Hadianto, head of the independent Jakarta Rescue group said.

"Areas that we go to are very far from the reach of cars. We have to hop from roof to roof of people's houses," he told AFP.

Hadianto said the main complaints so far were diarrhoea and skin problems, with children and old people suffering the most.

Indonesian Red Cross and other volunteers were cooking and delivering food to the thousands of people stranded in their flooded homes or sheltering at the side of roads.

City water control officials warned that the floods could worsen, with continuing rains in nearby Bogor city expected to exacerbate the situation by nightfall.

"Katulampa watergate is 70 centimetres (28 inches) above normal and the water level is rising," a Jakarta water control officer told AFP, referring to the main sluice gate controlling the flow of water from Bogor, which is at a higher elevation.

More rain was forecast over the weekend.

Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar blamed the floods on excessive construction in water catchment areas, Antara reported.

"There are too many malls in the capital city," he said, complaining that many developers had not paid enough attention to the ecological impact of construction projects.

Old Batavia, the former colonial port under the Dutch from where Jakarta has expanded, was built on marshland and some areas of the capital are below sea level.

In 2002, floods killed up to 40 people and some 300,000 were forced to seek refuge in mosques, schools and even cemeteries.

Flood victims badly need food, clean water

JAKARTA (JP): Poor emergency transportation vehicles have restricted food distribution to a number of flood hit areas in Jakarta.

Elshinta radio station reported that at least flood victims in Bintaro, Ciledug, Kelapa Gading were still waiting for food aid from authorities, but poor transportation vehicles had given difficulty for the search and rescue (SAR) team to reach them.

Flood victims also badly needed clean water for their daily usage as tap water was cut off in the flood affected areas.

Some people had to flee their flooded houses to their relatives houses or offices only to take bath.

Two jetliners in minor collision at Soekarno-Hatta

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Two jetliners reversed into each other on the tarmac of the Soekarno-Hatta international airport on Thursday, damaging both planes but causing no injuries, a company official said.

Investigators were examining the collision between a Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737 and a 747 operated by Saudi Arabian Airlines at the airport just west of the capital, Jakarta, said Garuda's operation director Ari Sapari.

Part of the Garuda plane's tail, which was taxiing for take off, was damaged in the accident, he said.

The other plane, which was not carrying any passengers, was also damaged, he said.

Indonesia has a seen a string of airline accidents and safety incidents in recent years, including a jetliner crash last month that killed 102 people.