Floods engulf three villages in Pamekasan

Pamekasan, Madura (ANTARA News) - Floods hit and inundated three villages, namely Galadek Anyar, Karteker and Kolpajung, in Pamekasan regency, Madura, East Java, on Friday night (Dec 7).

In many places the flood waters are chest deep, and even reached the roof of many homes at Jalan Amin Jakfar.

The first time hitting the three villages, the floods came suddenly and unexpectedly after a river embankment caved in Galadek Anyar village, reaching and inundating nearby homes.

"At least 50 homes were flooded," said Fauziyah (38), a resident at Jalan Amin Jakfar, Galadek Anyar village.

Many residents were crying in panic when seeing their homes almost disappearing from their sight engulfed by raging flood waters.

Residents were trying hard to block the flood waters, by anything they could lay their hands on, including wooden planks, mud and clay, but to no avail.

According to Fauziyah, on Friday night many residents took shelter at the local village office, but many stayed near their flooded homes watching out for looters.

Tempe lake suffers from severe sedimentation

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Lake Tempe in South Sulawesi was once called the "fish bowl of Indonesia". Today, as a result of chronic sedimentation caused by erosion and water plants, fishing is drying up.

The sediment piles on at a rate of five centimeters per year, causing the lake to shrink away in the dry season and overflow in the wet season.

Three regencies border the lake -- Wajo, Soppeng and Sidenreng Rappang. Wajo, in particular, is at risk from seasonal floods which threaten thousands of private and public buildings.

Once the lake was 30,000 hectares in area and 10,000 meters deep. Now, Tempe is never larger than 10,000 hectares and shrinks to 1,000 hectares with a maximum depth of two meters in the dry season.

The Wajo regency administration and several environmental organizations say the lake may remain only a memory in future years.

Nine rivers flow into the lake and sedimentation is attributed to upstream erosion. The condition is worsened by household waste and the rampant growth of water hyacinth, called eceng gondok.

Wajo environmental agency head Andi Tenri Lengka explained the Eceng gondok speeds up sedimentation because dead plants accumulate under water instead of rotting. They choke the lake during rainy season and are still there when it dries out.

While eceng gondok is sometimes suitable for handicrafts, the Tempe variety is not, Lengka said.

Tempe's receding shoreline bodes ill for fish including bungo, biawang and bete-bete. A handful of other species are hanging on.

In the 1960s, Lengka said, the lake produced some 50,000 of fish per year, which helped feed the country's prison population. Today only about 10,000 tons are caught annually.

"We could catch a lot of fish easily (even) during the dry season, several years ago. Now, it is not easy to find them," said Wahid, a fisherman.

Most local fishermen have had to start farming when the lake dries up, sowing corn and soya beans on the lake bottom.

Lengka said he welcomed solutions to the environmental disaster from whatever quarter.

Wajo administration mitigation efforts include excavation of Cenrenae River and attempts to channel rainy season overflows into smaller lakes and rivers in the Tempe drainage.

Lengka said the administration needed Rp 43 billion (US$4.70 million) to implement its programs and hoped the province and central government would help.

Pertamina ready to meet demand for new gasoline

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following the government's plan to sell better quality gasoline to partially replace the sales of the heavily-subsidized Premium brand gasoline in the first quarter, next year, state-owned oil company Pertamina said it would be ready to meet the demand of the new gasoline.

Pertamina's head of communication division, Wisnuntoro, said here late Wednesday the firm would begin to produce 40,000 kiloliters of the 90-octane gasoline per day in January at its refineries in Plaju, Palembang, South Sumatra, and in Balongan in Indramayu, West Java.

The government has planned to sell the highly subsidized gasoline only to public vehicles and motorcycles from the first quarter of next year in order to reduce growing fuel subsidies.

Private cars would be allowed only to buy a better quality 90-octane gasoline, which would be sold at about Rp 6,250 per litter, with a subsidy of Rp 500 per liter.

At present, Premimium brand gasoline, which has 88 octane content, sells at Rp 4,500 a liter, with a subsidy of about Rp 2,500.

State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta said from the reduction of the Premium sales in Jakarta alone, the government could cut the fuel subsidy by Rp 6 trillion a year (US$647.88 million).

Paskah said private vehicles in the Greater Jakarta area used almost two million kiloliters of Premium gasoline per year, or about 40 percent of national Premium gasoline consumption.

Director general of oil and gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Luluk Sumiarso, said the government would first try to replace Premium gasoline with 90-octane gasoline in gas stations in Greater Jakarta main thoroughfares, tollways and elite housing complex areas.

After Greater Jakarta, the government is considering to implement the program in Batam, Bali and Banten areas, also in 2008.

The same implementation will be carried in Surabaya area, East Java, and Semarang area, Central Java, in 2009, as well as Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi regions in 2010.

The Indonesian government has allocated Rp 45.8 trillion (about US$4.9 billion) in fuel subsidies in 2008. The subsidy for the Premium gasoline alone is expected to reach Rp 7.87 trillion.

A senior government researcher said here Thursday the plan to limit the sales of Premium gasoline to public vehicles and motorcycles would have a lesser impact than if the government raised the prices.

Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) researcher Maxensius Tri Sambodo said there would be inflation, people resistance and poor government control shortly after the plan was implemented.

He said however it would bring less impact than the fuel price hike made in October, 2005.

"If it is implemented, the government's new fuel plan will have lesser risk rather than if it raises the prices like the one in 2005," Maxensius told The Jakarta Post.

He said the inflationary pressure from the new fuel policy would not as big as 2005 because under the new plan public vehicles would be still allowed to buy fuel with a big subsidy.

The government raised the fuel prices including diesel and kerosene by an average of 100 percent in October to reduce the swelling subsidy. The rise caused an increase in the annual inflation rate to 17 percent in 2005, much higher than between 6 and 7 percent in the previous years.

According to a survey conducted by Maxensius and his LIPI team, the fuel hike in 2005 hit the transportation sector more seriously than others.

"Compared to fishery and SMEs, transportation suffered more as transportation operators must raise their fares, which caused a decline in the number of passengers, therefore they earned less compared to the previous years," he said.(adt/nkn)

Three airlines suspected of losing engine cap on strip

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Soekarno-Hatta international airport management said the engine cap that fell on its runway last Tuesday might belong to one of three airline companies, but none had reported a missing part.

Head of the airport administration bureau Herry Bakti said the cap belonged to one of three McDouglas MD-90 airplanes currently being operated by Batavia Air, Lion Air and Mandala.

"We can't confirm which of the three companies has the engine cap," Herry said.

"We will summon them on Friday for further questioning."

A watchtower officer found the three-meter ring-exhaust engine cap on the side of the runway near the international departure terminal Tuesday morning.

Various media reports on Thursday said the cap belonged to Lion Air. On Tuesday morning Lion had an airplane registered as PK-LIL-625 with 100 people traveling from Jakarta to Balikpapan under flight number of 766.

No airline had confirmed any losses on Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, parts of a Batavia Air craft landed in Gempol Sari village in Tangerang regency.

That airplane was scheduled to fly to Pontianak but was delayed in the air for hours before it landed at the international airport.

Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said these kinds of incidents were serious and said he had instructed the National Committee for Air Transportation safety (KNKT) to investigate both matters further.

"A flying airplane cannot lose parts of (its) craft, especially (an) engine cap, because it would expose wind ... and cause problems with the engine," he told Antara.

Jusman said his office would impose a safety management system next year to avoid further incidents.

The new system, he said, would require airline companies to report any incidents or findings during their operations.

Engine cap on runway, airlines silent

TANGERANG (Jakarta Post): Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has yet to receive confirmation regarding an engine that apparently fell from a plane onto the south runaway of the airport on Tuesday morning.

No airline had contacted the airport to report such a loss as of Wednesday.

Airport administrator Herry Bakti told The Jakarta Post fear of blame might lie behind the failure to report the loss.

"Actually, they should not be afraid to come forward as these kinds of incidents are not always the fault of the companies," he said.

Herry said every airline should honestly report the condition of its airplanes.

The airport operator said the next step in the investigation would be to call a meeting with 13 registered airlines.

Airport executive general manager Heryanto said a watch tower officer found the three-meter fairing engine on the side of the runaway near the international departure terminal Tuesday morning.

Separately, Airport police chief Sr. Comr. Guntur Setyanto said he had received no report of an engine being lost or found.

A similar incident happened two weeks ago when parts of a Batavia Air craft landed in Gempol Sari village in Tangerang regency. --JP

Indonesian Lion Air plane grounded after part falls off

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - An MD-90 plane operated by Indonesia's Lion Air has been grounded after a three-meter-long component of the aircraft was found on a runway, an official said Thursday.

This is the latest incident in a series highlighting air safety concerns in Indonesia, an archipelago where flying is a crucial means of travel.

Last week the EU extended a ban on all Indonesian planes flying in its airspace following a series of fatal accidents in Indonesia.

"Lion Air has admitted that the part belongs to one of its aircraft. The MD-90 is now grounded and an investigation is currently ongoing," said Heri Bakti, the head administrator of Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta airport.

An air safety inspector found the part, which is 40 centimeters wide, lying on a runway at the airport on Tuesday. It was claimed late Wednesday, Bakti was quoted by Thomson Financial as saying.

Lion Air's operational director, Ertata Lanang Galih, told the Detikcom online news service that the part was from the exhaust system and not vital for flight.

He reportedly said it fell off the plane because of "a mistake of the workshop, the factory".

Govt fuel price plan gets thumbs-up from observers

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): The government's plan to limit the sales of subsidized premium gasoline to public vehicles and motorcycles, and to sell a new type of gasoline to private cars in order to curb the rise in thefuel subsidy, has received approval from economic observers.

Economist Didik Rachbini said here Wednesday the government's plan in reducing the rise in the subsidy resulting from the surging crude oil prices in the world market was "creative", while oil industry observer Kurtubi said the government had done the right thing, but it should monitor its implementation.

"The government must do anything it can to stop the gasoline subsidy for private vehicles to save the state budget," Didik told The Jakarta Post.

Didik, who is also a member the House of Representatives (DPR)representing the National Mandate Party (PAN), said although the plan would need to be closely monitored, it would be better than raising the price of premium gasoline, currently sold to the public at Rp 4,500 per litter, with a subsidy of more than Rp 2,500 a litter.

The government said Tuesday that under the new plan, the government would limit sales of the highly subsidized gasoline to public vehicles and motorcycles.

For private cars, the government will sell 90-octane gasoline to replace 88-octane premium gasoline.

Chunk of jetliner wing found on Indonesian runway

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Workers found a piece of a wing from a passenger jet on the runway at Indonesia's main airport and investigators are trying to determine which plane it fell from, officials said Wednesday.

The 10-foot (3-meter) piece of wing was found Tuesday at Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta international airport, said Yurlis Hasibuan, a senior air transportation official.

"It has been identified as a side engine cover, but we do not yet know which plane it came from," he said.

The wing piece was found on a runway used by planes on domestic flights as well as some cargo planes flying internationally, he said.

Last month, a similar-sized piece of wing fell from a jetliner minutes after it took off from the same airport.

The Boeing 737, which was operated by a local airline, landed safely but the incident added to safety concerns about commercial aviation in Indonesia.

The country suffered a series of accidents earlier this year that killed more than 120 people, leading the European Union to ban all the country's airlines from landing there.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the nation's rating to its lowest category.

Experts say the industry is plagued by poor maintenance, rule-bending and a shortage of trained professionals.

Disabled people report on the perils of travel

Bunga Sirait, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ramaditya Adikara, 26, works as a composer for giant video game corporation Nintendo. He does all his work from home, but he goes out a lot and alone for other freelancing jobs. Like many other disabled people who rely on public transportation, Rama, has heart-wrenching stories to tell about being a blind guy cruising the streets of Jakarta.

"I fall from angkot (public minivans) all the time. You would think they would help disabled people. But, even though I use a stick (and it's clear I am disabled), they take no notice of me," Rama said.

Considering the broken sidewalks and pot-hole riddled streets of the city, it is not surprising Rama also said he had tripped countless times.

One time a car actually ran over his stick when he dropped it crossing the street.

"Usually there's someone around to lend a hand, but if it's an empty street, you're on your own," said Rama, who dreams that someday Jakarta will have a guide dog service like the one he used when he lived in Japan for "two wonderful years".

"It's a real dog that goes everywhere with you -- just like a friend. There are certain hand gestures or codes they can understand if we want them to take us to the station, shopping, crossing the street," he said. "The service is provided by the government, free of charge. All you have to do is call and say you need one.

"You should be able to go out alone even if you are blind or confined to a wheelchair. Disabled people need to go to work, to go wherever they want ... It's the government's responsibility to make this city accessible to all," said Ariani Mun'im, the chief of the Indonesian Disabled Women's Association (HWPCI)

Although there are bylaws that regulate accessibility, facilities such as street ramps, rails, audible traffic signals and Braille instructions are extremely limited in Jakarta, moreover in Indonesia.

An accessibility survey in Bandung revealed that only one audible traffic signal was found in the city; and this was possibly the only one in the country.

"So far I would say TransJakarta is the most accessible form of public transportation here. The announcement indicating which stop will be next is quite helpful, and I can tell the officers are trained to handle us, (people with disabilities)," Rama said.

Unlike Rama, Henny Santoso rarely uses public transportation. "I do take buses once in a while. But is was easier back in the days when Jakarta wasn't so crowded," said Henny who is disabled from polio, which she contracted when she was 4.

The champion of the 1995 Paralympic Games in Taiwan for tennis relies on her driver to get around the city.

"I can't imagine going anywhere in Jakarta on one of those buses."

That includes TransJakarta. "It's too much an effort," Henny said.

"People have told me horrible stories about getting on the bus. First, the ramp was too steep and the handrails weren't satisfactory. Even regular people find it hard to get up the ramp, imagine how hard it is for people in wheelchairs," she said.

"The second thing is, you just can't get in. Not every entrance door is wide enough for a wheelchair. That means we need someone to carry us, fold the wheelchair, unfold the wheelchair, and put us back on the seat. Where's the accessibility? We've been told to live independently. Given the circumstances, how can we possibly do that?"

Budi, 29, a former professional swimmer, uses crutches to get around. He remembers his days at art school (IKJ) when he had to take the bus home, but none of the drivers wanted to stop.

"I was lucky I had great friends. If I waited for too long, my friend would stand in the middle of street when the bus was coming so it would stop and I could get in."

Budi believes society has a misperception of disabled people, which breeds discrimination. "People think just because we're disabled, it's difficult for us to find jobs, therefore we don't have money, so we might not be able to pay when we use their service. That's how the chain goes," he said.

"If I wanted to waste my time thinking about how badly people treated us, I'd say we are treated worse than second-class citizens."

Rama echoed what Budi said but expressed hope: "More than the improvement of facilities, what I really hope is that our society can respect and help disabled people, because seeing the condition of our country, it'd be so hard just to depend on the physical facilities.

"Public education is crucial or else the facilities that were made for us will be ineffective."

Henny related her experience in a mall some years ago: "We were looking for a space to park, so we go to where they have this wheelchair sign. It turns out the space is being used by another person who is not disabled, and the parking officer doesn't lift a finger to help. An officer like him is supposed to tell people they have to respect the rules," she said

"Show some sensitivity," Henny added. She remembers the time when she went to see a movie with some friends: "They put us in the very front row. They didn't have any ramps -- hence the front row was our best bet. Nobody ever offered us any assistance on how we could get better seats. So there we go watching the film, heads tilted, with the light streaming onto our faces. "It seems that nobody thinks about how to make things more comfortable for the disabled."

Water operator seeks contract review

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While the Jakarta administration reviews the performance of two private water operators -- PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) and PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) -- city-owned water company PAM Jaya wants to review their water contracts.

"We are not satisfied with the operators' performances. Therefore, we are reviewing their contracts to reset targets and standards for the next five years," president director of PAM Jaya, Didit Haryadi, said Tuesday.

The contract appraisal would include legal adjustments to cooperation agreements, which are expected to raise its bargaining position.

In 1997, the city signed a 25-year contract that made PAM Jaya give water concessions to the two private operators to manage the distribution of clean water in Jakarta's eastern and western areas. The contract is subject to an evaluation process every five years.

"The 1997 contract stipulated we must provide the two partners with raw water from Jatiluhur dam. We don't handle such things anymore. We want to have a win-win solution," Didit said

Many customers have complained about the two operators' performances and increasing water tariffs.

Didit said PAM Jaya wanted the partners to reach 75 percent service coverage in the next five years. As for leakage levels, he added, the company expected Palyja to reach 38 percent and TPJ 44 percent.

Coordinator of People's Coalition for the Rights to Water (Kruha) Hamong Santono said according to contractual targets, the two partners had been expected to reduce leakage levels to 39.87 percent and reach 70.18 percent service coverage in 2006.

However, he said, TPJ's leakage level had been recorded at 51 percent and Palyja's at 47 percent.

"Although the administration can review the contracts to improve its bargaining position, I think it would be better to terminate the contracts. It's just a matter of political will," Hamong told The Jakarta Post last week.

TPJ communications director Rhamses Simanjuntak claimed his company had reached 67 percent in service coverage and 51 percent in leakage levels in October. While Palyja public relations manager Meyritha Maryanie said in October her company had reached 58.4 percent in service coverage and around 47 percent in leakage levels.

"Although both operators claim to have broadened their service coverage, it doesn't mean the quality of their service has improved," Hamong said.

Both companies claim high leakage levels were caused by water theft.

Rhamses said in order to fight water theft, his company had curbed illegal connections and set a district meter system. Meyritha said Palyja had reduced its leakages by persuading people who stole water to become customers.

Even though the two water operators have failed to meet their targets, Didit said PAM Jaya did not plan to terminate the contracts, as it would involve a penalty of more than Rp 5 trillion. (tif)

Astra's SME auto component orders may reach Rp 4.2 trillion

The Jakarta Post

Indonesia's largest automotive business group, PT Astra International, expects to have ordered automotive components worth about Rp 4.2 trillion (about US$451.6 million) from small and medium enterprises by the end of the year, up from Rp 3.6 trillion last year.

Dharma Bhakti Astra Foundation chairman Aminuddin said Tuesday that this year's procurement target could be achieved as during the first six months alone, supplies from SMEs assisted by the foundation had already reached Rp 2.1 trillion.

The SME component producers accounted for 80 percent of the small firms assisted by the foundation, he said. "The other 20 percent received assistance from the foundation to produce handicrafts and food products," he explained after the official opening of the foundation's SME Gallery.

The above picture shows Aminuddin (right) describing a machine displayed in the gallery to Bank Mandiri consumer banking director Omar S. Anwar (second right), Astra president director Michael D. Ruslim (third right), Astra director Prijono Sugiarto (third left), and the foundation's chief patron, Tossin Himawan.

Aminuddin said the SMEs accounted for about 40 percent of Astra's total component purchases. Another 45 percent was supplied by bigger domestic companies, and the other 5 percent by foreign companies.

To assist the SMEs, Astra has spent Rp 17.3 billion on training their employees in cooperation with Bank Mandiri, Bank Niaga, and surveyor firms PT Sucofindo and PT Surveyor Indonesia, Aminuddin said.

He said that from January to November, Astra trained 385 employees of its small-scale subcontractors, 81 employees of automotive SMEs not related to the company, 160 technicians, and 1,968 employees of SMEs operating in the handicrafts and food processing sectors.(ndr)

President calls for feasibility study on Sunda Strait Bridge

Bandar Lampung (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for the immediate implementation of an in-depth feasibility study on the proposed construction of a bridge over the Sunda Strait to link Java and Sumatra islands.

"A careful feasibility study should be made immediately. If it is possible from the economic and geographic points of view to construct the bridge, we can go ahead with this major development project," the president said at the peak event of a program to mark the 27th World Food Day at Way Halim square here on Wednesday.

The head of state said a bridge linking Java and Sumatra islands would clearly generate great advantages for people at both ends of the bridge.

The economies of people in Java and Sumatra could grow well if the two islands were connected by a bridge, he said.

Therefore, if the feasibility study showed that it was possible to construct the bridge, it should definitely be built for the sake of the economic development of the two islands.

Yudhoyono made the statements in response to Lampung Governor Sjachroedin ZP`s request for the central government`s attention for four major developmental matters in Sumatra, namely the Sunda Strait bridge project, trans-Sumatra highway and railway track projects and energy availability.

Medan's Polonia airport sees drop in passenger numbers

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Airlines at Medan's Polonia airport reported a drop in passenger numbers Monday, two days after a fire gutted the domestic terminal.

Check-in counters, set up in large tents at the nearby Air Force base, and the airport's waiting room appeared deserted.

The head of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia's Medan representative office, Yona Mardiona, said they had seen a significant decline in passengers numbers following Saturday's fire.

He said the number of Garuda passengers reached 98 percent of its 1,296 seat capacity a day after the blaze, but dropped to 85 percent on Monday.

"We recorded a drop of around 13 percent. I don't know whether or not this is due to the fire," Yona told The Jakarta Post.

On normal days, most Garuda flights out of Polonia are fully booked, he said.

He said despite the drop in passenger numbers, Garuda would not change its flight schedule.

"Garuda will still serve 11 flights from Polonia airport daily," said Yona, adding nine of the 11 flights serve the Jakarta route, with the remaining two to Banda Aceh.

He said Garuda would move its domestic check-in counters to the airport's international terminal.

"According to our plan, we will move the counters to the international terminal on Wednesday."

Adam Air relocated its check-in counters to the airport's utility hall on Monday.

During an inspection of the gutted terminal, the director general of air transportation at the Transportation Ministry, Budi Mulyawan Suyitno, urged airport authorities to do everything they could to provide uninterrupted service to passengers.

He said his office had told state airport management company PT Angkasa Pura II to take immediate steps to cover the effects of the fire, such as hanging plastic sheets over damaged areas, to avoid giving passengers a negative impression.

Asked how long it would take to rebuild the terminal, Budi by next month at the latest.

"It will be ready by early January at the very latest, although it might not be as good as before, since it will cost a lot of money. Angkasa Pura will cover the costs," he said.

Airport head of operations Zulkifli Muslim on Monday said the damage from the fire was estimated at Rp 10 billion (approximately US$1.1 million).

"That does not include damages incurred by third parties at the airport," said Zulkifli, pointing to the various shops in the terminal that had suffered damage in the fire.

Jakarta no friend to pedestrians

The Jakarta Post

A very touching picture one day -- the seemingly mundane view of a new pedestrian bridge linking a busway stop to a multistory market in East Jakarta. It was touching because it was another rare addition to the awareness that you're human, and getting to be recognized as such in this city.

The feeling of being a dignified human in Jakarta, as we all know, is rare and spare. It is the feeling shared by pedestrians on the exceptional sidewalk; until you freeze at the onslaught of approaching motorcycles or wind your way gingerly around potholes.

More common is the sense that it's your own fault you're not a motorist when you're waiting and waiting forever for a chance to cross a busy road; or the sense of despair of mulling the options of taking the sardine-packed train or bus, or drive in dense traffic.

Once abroad in a developed country, the typical Jakartan may spend a moment or two in disbelief when a driver halts and waves to let them actually cross. "Is he really stopping for me?" I thought one day in one such country (I forget which).

When driving in Jakarta we resort to our customary principle of reaching our destination as fast as possible while negotiating pedestrians as if they were annoying obstacles!

The pedestrians are the majority here, yet it seems their voices have been drowned out by ideas of what a livable city should really be. Spending time exploring the malls seems to be the most exciting pastime here; they're educational too, you get to know about the brands and stores people are yapping about.

But surely the metropolitan's elite have been abroad, no less those who ran for the governor's seat in the first ever direct election. Surely they've enjoyed so many other cities and pocketed ideas on improving our metropolitan.

Yet given what our city's like, the impression is they haven't. What do you feel in a city without easy access to clean parks -- a city where for many families the air conditioned malls and huge stores are the nearest, most convenient recreational facilities?

New Zealand's little town of Christchurch prides itself on its vast park areas -- we could dismiss such boasting, saying we couldn't afford all that empty space with our teeming millions.

True, enjoying the sunshine or evenings in parks is free, while the city needs the enclosed spaces for the revenue they contribute.

But the masses would greatly appreciate a governor who tried to alleviate them of some stress. The malls are nice for window-shopping and a sweat-free rendezvous -- until you step out and are once again reminded you're not human when you're without the car or the driver!

That's why anyone would applaud more efforts made to establish a decent mass transportation system, wider pavements and more parks.

For all our lovely buildings, when we must pass mounds of trash, negotiate reckless buses or maneuver the gaping holes on the pedestrian bridges, this Jakartan has only one thought -- how uncivilized those in power here must be.

--Ati Nurbaiti

Governor targets less air pollution

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Fauzi Bowo is targeting a decrease in air pollution of 30 percent during his five-year term.

"To achieve that, we are preparing strategic measures for the use of alternative fuels (to reduce carbon dioxide emissions)," he was quoted as saying Saturday by the city's official Beritajakarta.com news portal.

The first sector to be affected by the new policy, he said, would be public transportation.

All public transportation vehicles, such as buses and taxis, would soon be required to use environmentally friendly compressed natural gas (CNG), or biogas.

"The pollutants from natural gas are less harmful to the environment and human health than those from oil-based fuels," Fauzi said.

The city administration says that the cause of 70 percent of air pollution in Jakarta is car emissions, while the remaining 30 percent comes from industry.

Activists say an increase in private vehicles is the main cause of the air pollution problem.

At least 2.5 million private cars and 3.8 million motorcycles traverse the city's roads on weekdays.

The increase in private cars has also added to the already severe congestion on Jakarta's streets.

The compulsory use of natural gas by public transportation vehicles is already required under the much-lauded 2005 Air Pollution Ordinance, which also introduced compulsory emissions tests for private cars, a prohibition on the burning of garbage in open areas and the banning of smoking in most public places.

CNG use, however, has yet to be enforced due to a lack of CNG outlets in Jakarta.

As part of the effort to both reduce the number of cars and air pollution, the administration has organized a number of so-called car-free days in a number of different parts of the city.

Although these are widely considered to have been ineffectual due to weak coordination between officials and the police, the city administration nevertheless claims that they have helped improve air quality.

It says that Jakartans enjoyed no more than 30 days of clean air in 2005, but had 45 good days in 2006. It also says that there have been 54 good days recorded so far this year.

Besides air pollution, Jakarta is also facing a worsening groundwater crisis, which has led to saltwater intrusion and subsidence.

Jakarta Mining Agency head Peni Susanti said that groundwater levels had fallen to between 2 and 5 meters from the surface.

"We obtained these figures from our groundwater studies conducted between 2002 and 2005," she said Sunday.

"We can see what is happening from the depth of the wells people have to dig these days ... In the past, people could reach the groundwater by digging down 20 meters. Now, they have to go double that distance," she explained.

The groundwater crisis, according to Peni, was due to the fact that the water firms were unable to meet the city's clean water needs. "Forty-four percent of people's water is obtained from wells."

To deal with the problem, the mining agency is currently building ponds and dams to replenish the groundwater supply. It is also monitoring groundwater use by industry.

"We have drafted an ordinance on groundwater use to make sure that it is controlled. The City Council is currently deliberating the draft ... which is expected to be passed next year," Peni said.

Taking big strides towards clean energy

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Shanghai

"Say goodbye to the vehicles of the past and their old-fashioned fuel," is the message at the annual Michelin Challenge Bibendum conference in Shanghai.

And maybe it won't be so hard.

At least that is the message that may be running through the minds of visitors to the three-day event which promotes sustainable mobility with eye-popping demonstrations of technology of the not-so-distant future.

Who would turn down a clean, green auto or motorbike fueled by natural gas, bio-ethanol or hydrogen.

According to the event organizer, 12 different teams representing auto makers, universities and recently-formed joint ventures bring hydrogen-powered vehicles to this year's show.

Forecasters point to three trends -- global warming, calls to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and market demand for sustainable energy sources -- that will probably remain closely linked as they grow.

It is a fact the world is growing bigger and richer. In the last 40 years, population has doubled to around 6.5 billion and is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Around half of the that population lives in urban areas and the percentage is also rapidly growing.

The population and wealth explosion is feeding a demand for mobility. Today there are around 900 million vehicles on the road and over 2 billion are expected by 2050.

Meanwhile, road transport is 98 percent dependent on old-fashioned fossil fuels.

This time around -- the ninth Michelin challenge -- the automotive industry has called on government, energy suppliers and consumers to come together in a more coordinated attempt to address sustainability issues.

"We bring together all the stakeholders to test, to drive, to compare, to debate, to network and to envision pathways for sustainable mobility," said Michelin CEO Michel Rollier at the opening ceremony.

Besides the Chinese government, 18 manufacturers, 15 technology developers and component suppliers, 10 energy companies and eight public institutions are participating this year.

All types of companies are looking at both side of the coin -- the need to adapt to climate change and the opportunity to profit by being one step ahead of others with modern technology and expertise.

Royal Dutch Shell, the world's third largest energy company, says it has invested about US$1 billion in the last five years in sustainable energy, such as solar, wind and hydrogen.

"We see it as a new market opportunity, with the fact that the world is now turning that direction, to become more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. It is our loss if we don't prepare ourselves well enough," Shell VP Downstream Communication and Sustainable Development Niel Golightly told The Jakarta Post at the event.

He also said there was a need to build a solid partnership among all players -- manufacturers, energy suppliers, the government and the public -- to work together to achieve the goal of sustainable road mobility.

In the case of Indonesia, he called on the government to work on more than one solution at the same time.

He said even a country like Indonesia, with great potential for the development of biofuel because of its resources, should also consider wind, solar and coal.

With a population of 220 million -- and rapidly growing -- the country is the world's third biggest emitter of CO2, after the U.S. and China.

It is estimated that transportation -- moving people and things from place to place -- in Indonesia puts 20.9 million tons of CO2 into the air each year, or about a third of the country's total CO2 emissions. Emissions caused by destruction of wetlands makes up much of the rest. The emissions figure is expected to reach 38.4 million tons by 2010.

Shell fuels manager for Asia Pacific and the Middle East said biofuels were the most economically feasible green energy for Indonesia and urged the government to make biofuel use mandatory and prioritize incentive arrangements for the biofuel industry.

Companies ranging from Britain's BP and China's CNOOC to local firms are standing in line for the opportunity to invest in biofuels in Indonesia, with total commitments standing at some Rp 160 trillion as of last July.

In general, though, projects are stalled pending laws on incentives and mandatory use.

Polonia airport to continue flying after fire

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Polonia airport authority in Medan, North Sumatra, announced Sunday it would continue to serve passengers after a fire the previous day destroyed the domestic terminal.

The fire started about 8:45 p.m. and swept through the entire terminal. No deaths have been reported, but one firefighter sustained serious injuries while battling the blaze.

The decision to continue with services was made during a closed-door meeting led by North Sumatra Governor Rudolf Pardede early Sunday morning.

Rudolf said domestic flight departure services would be moved to the nearby Air Force base, Polonia airport's VIP room and the Medan office of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

Acting head state-owned Angkasa Pura II, which manages Polonia airport, Poniran M. Abdi, said services for domestic flights had to be transferred from the gutted terminal to other sites.

"Under the current emergency conditions, we hope all passengers who already bought tickets can be accommodated even though there are lots of schedule changes," Poniran told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

There was confusion among passengers Sunday as they waited, often for hours, to be told their departure time and location.

Syaukani, a passenger from Aceh, said he had already been waiting for more than two hours in front of the Polonia VIP room, but still there was no assurance as to when he would fly.

"I'm tired and disappointed, but I can't do anything because this is an emergency situation. I hope the government will deal with it as soon as possible," he said.

Governor Rudolf said it would take more than three months to repair the damage to the domestic terminal.

At least 18 fire engines were deployed to the scene, but firefighters had trouble dealing with the blaze because a number of hydrants were not working.

Deputy head of the North Sumatra Police criminal division, Adj. Sr. Comr. Darmawan Sutawijaya, said that based on preliminary investigations the fire was believed to have been started by an exploding voltage regulator.

Several witnesses said they heard an explosion and saw a blaze in a corridor between the transit lounge and the Garuda Indonesia customer service room, on the second floor of the terminal.

Darmawan said six forensic officers from the National Police in Jakarta were in Medan and helping to determine the cause of the fire.

He said there was a problem with a voltage regulator at the airport three months ago, but did not provide details.

Officials estimate Saturday's fire caused billions of rupiah worth of damage.

Yogyakarta governor sees off clean air roadshow

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X here on Friday saw off participants of a `Jakarta-Bali Clean Air Roadshow` as part of Indonesia`s activities to greet the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will take place in Bali, December 3-14, 2007.

The roadshow was participated in by 11 cars who had left Jakarta for Bali, with a transit in Yogyakarta.

The Sultan of Yogyakarta said the public`s awareness about the environment, especially global warming, needed to be continuously improved and integrated with local environmental wisdoms.

Fire guts Polonia airport`s domestic passenger terminal

Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Fire gutted the domestic passenger terminal of Polonia airport in Medan, North Sumatra, on Saturday night at about 20:40 local time, forcing the temporary closure of the airport for all flights.

"The airport has been officially closed because of a conflagration at the domestic embarkation terminal," an official of a local airline company told Antara here Saturday night, adding that all night flights on Saturday had been canceled.

"We have asked thousands of passengers who were waiting in the departure terminal to return home and come back tomorrow (Sunday)," he said.

Poniran M Abdi, head of PT Angkasa Pura II (Polonia airport administration), confirmed the occurrence of the fire.

"That`s correct, a fire torched the airport but I have no further information because fire-fighters are still doing their job," he said.

A few airport workers were the first people who had noticed early signs of the fire. "We smelled smoke at the check-in counter at about 20:30 local time," one of them said.

"Security officers showed no serious concern and made no effort to find the source of the burning smell. Ten minutes later, inflammable goods at the terminal burst into flames," the worker said.

There was no immediate information about casualties or material damage by the fire.

Polonia as the fourth largest airport in Indonesia after Jakarta`s Soekarno-Hatta international airport, Juanda airport in Surabaya and Ngurahrai airport in Denpasar, Bali, also serves international flights.

Circle-line train to ease traffic jam

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An innercity circle train was launched Friday to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

The air-conditioned cars, which run on the Ciliwung Blue Line and can carry up to 400 passengers per trip from Manggarai, South Jakarta, are expected to encourage commuters to leave their automobiles at home.

"(Governor) Fauzi Bowo proposed the idea of operating the train to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, saying it could help solve the traffic problem," Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal told reporters after officiating the launch ceremony.

State-owned railway company PT Kareta Api has prepared 32 cars for the new line, but currently only four are in use due to a lack of drivers.

"We lack machinists because many of them have retired. But we are now recruiting new ones, so hopefully we can serve more trains, depending on the public demand," said PT KA head of public relations for the Jakarta area, Akhmad Sujadi.

Despite its huge capacity, the train failed to attract passengers on its first day of operation due to a lack of promotion.

In the morning only 12 people bought tickets.

Simon Shamiran, one of the passengers, said he found out about the new train from a newspaper. "I just read about it this morning and I decided to try it," he said.

"The train was five minutes late, but overall, it is cheap, fast and comfortable. I got chilled a little bit because of the air conditioning," he said.

The new train, which is made by PT Inka in Madiun, East Java, uses railway tracks built in 1984. PT KAI operated the circle line service from 1984 to 1987 but closed it down due to a lack of passengers.

Now that the city suffers from chronic traffic, PT KAI is running the service again with some improvements. The new train is fast and comfortable, and patrolled by eight security guards who prohibit vendors, buskers and beggars from boarding.

The train departs Manggarai train station in South Jakarta and stops at 13 other stations, taking 58 minutes to run the entire track, said Akhmad.

The train operates Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Jusman said passengers will only have to pay Rp 3,500 for the next two to three months before the official fare of Rp 5,000 is implemented. (dia)

Busway fare to increase to Rp 5,000 in 2008

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Secretary Ritola Tasmaya hinted Friday the administration would welcome the new year by raising the busway fare from Rp 3,500 to Rp 5,000 (53 U.S. cents).

"The busway ticket price must increase and it will be effective on Jan. 1, 2008," he said at City Hall, as quoted by Detik.com newsportal.

The planned price increase, he said, was due to the addition of three new busway corridors that would increase the busway's distance from 99 to 170 kilometers.

Busway operator TransJakarta pays bus suppliers a set fee for every kilometer their buses run.

"We would need at least a Rp 500 billion subsidy if we stayed with the current price of Rp 3,500, and would expect a three to five minute interval between the arrival of buses (as stops)," said Ritola.

The subsidy for the busway has risen from Rp 43.74 billion ($4.67 million) in 2006 for the operation of three corridors to Rp 235 billion in 2007 for seven corridors.

The administration plans to ask for a Rp 227 billion subsidy for next year's operation of 10 corridors, according to Ritola.

"The easiest thing we can do is raise ticket prices ... the price is not too expensive because it's the same as the fare for air-conditioned buses," he said.

Although the new ticket price "will be effective on Jan. 1 next year", Ritola earlier said the three new corridors would only be up and running next May, or five months after initially planned.

The City Council's deputy chairman of Commission D for development, Mukhayar, said he opposed the planned ticket price increase.

"The ticket price does correlate with the subsidy, but it's not that simple," he told The Jakarta Post.

"The city administration must wait for the council's special committee to finish evaluating all busway-related issues before deciding on the increase."

The council assembled a special committee on the busway in early November, to evaluate its management and financial issues.

"The administration should know it first needs to improve busway services, for example, by adding more buses," said Mukhayar.

TransJakarta says only 329 buses had been procured for the seven corridors as of July, out of 346 buses promised by suppliers.

Eventually, TransJakarta plans to operate 511 buses on the seven corridors.

The ticket price increase will only "benefit" bus suppliers rather than commuters, Mukhayar said.

Fuel prices for industry rise by up to 21 percent

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State oil and gas company Pertamina will increase the prices of fuels for industrial and commercial use by between 15 and 22 percent today (Dec. 1) in line with soaring crude oil prices on the world market.

Pertamina said Friday that the prices of unsubsidized diesel for transportation and industrial use would be increased by 15.9 percent to Rp 8,300 (about 89 U.S. cents) and Rp 7,039 per liter, respectively, while the price of unsubsidized premium-grade gasoline would be increased to Rp 7,450 per liter.

Meanwhile, the price of kerosene will go up by 21.7 percent to Rp 8,347, while that of fuel oil will rise by 15.9 percent to Rp 7,700 per liter.

Pertamina said the price increases were in line with the rise in the Mid Oil Platts Singapore (MOPS) index, which is used as the reference for determining the prices of non-subsidized oil-based fuels.

The increases were larger than last month's increases of between four and six percent due to a 1.87 percent depreciation in the value of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar.

Subsidized Premium gasoline and transportation diesel remains pegged at Rp 4,500 and Rp 4,300 per liter, respectively, while the price of heavily subsidized kerosene for use by households and small enterprises also stays the same at Rp 2,000 per liter.

Honda determined to maintain motorcycle market domination

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Motorcycle manufacturer PT Astra Honda Motor (AHM) is upbeat about retaining its dominance of Indonesia's motorcycle market amid fierce competition from its rivals, particularly Yamaha, by avoiding price hikes and improving technology.

"AHM will focus not only on introducing new products featuring the latest technology into the market, but also on maintaining prices in spite of the recent instability in oil prices," executive vice president director Siswanto Prawiroatmodjo told a press briefing Friday.

He was speaking during a ceremony to mark the rolling off the assembly line of the company's 20 millionth motorcycle at its Cikarang factory, West Java.

While high oil prices have increased production costs in many industries, including the motorcycle industry, Siswanto was optimistic that AHM would be able to keep prices steady by improving efficiency in both production and distribution.

AHM is currently increasing its production capacity in order to meet its target of producing 2,150,000 motorcycles by the end of this year. At present, it has three plants in Greater Jakarta with a total capacity of some 10,000 motorcycles per day.

Budi Dharmadi, the Industry Ministry's director general of transportation equipment and telematics, who attended the ceremony, said he had urged AHM to increase production capacity to meet Indonesia's demand for motorcycles.

Budi predicted that demand next year would hit the five-million mark, up 400,000 from the 4.6 million forecast for this year.

He said he hoped that AHM would soon start exporting its motorcycles as, he said, "AHM has achieved the status of being the largest motorcycle producer in Asia and this should be considered an opportunity for expanding into the export market."

AHM has been the country's motorcycle-market leader for 36 years, and currently controls about 46 percent of the market.

However, aggressive campaigns and the introduction of new models have seen Yamaha closing the gap with Honda. In fact, Yamaha beat Honda twice this year in monthly sales.

Yamaha became the market leader in March by selling 159,035 motorcycles compared with Honda's 151,074, and in July sold 161,016 compared with Honda's 143,223.

However, during the first 10 months of the year, AHM was on top with sales of 1,707,339 motorcycles compared with 1,522,422 for Yamaha. (dic)

Development of Jakarta airport railway to start in March 2008

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said the development of a 27-km-long airport railway in Jakarta will start in March 2008.

"The project`s ground breaking will be carried out in March 2008 and it is expected to be completed in June 2009," the minister told the press after the launching of Ciliwung Blue Line at Gambir railway station here on Friday.

The airport railway was an urgent need and could become the best alternative to go to and come from the airport for Jakarta residents, apart from toll roads, he said.

"The threat of flooding induced by high tide as happened last week and caused traffic congestion on the road to the airport, will no longer recur if we have an airport railway. Besides, its carrying capacity will be much bigger than buses," the minister said.

The bidding process for the railway construction would be completed before March 2008, he said.

"Work to make the DED (Detailed Engineering Design) is expected to be finished in December, and it will be followed by the bidding and other processes," he said.

Meanwhile, the elevated railway project will be operated by PT Railink, a subsidiary of state railway company PT KA, with a share ownership of 60 percent by PT KA and the rest by PT Angkasa Pura II airport management company, President Director of PT KA Ronny Wahyudi said.

The funds of the airport railway project, which was estimated to cost around Rp2.2 trillion, would be provided by three national bank syndicates, he said.

The route of the airport train line would be : Manggarai (Duri)-Angke-Soekarno Hatta airport, he said.

Asita disappointed about EU still banning airlines from flying to Europe

Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (Asita) expressed disappointment about the European Union (EU) for still maintaining its ban on Indonesian airline companies from flying to Europe.

"Of course Asita feels disappointed because the ban has caused a substantial decline in the number of foreign tourists especially from Europe coming to Indonesia," Asnawi Bahar, Asita vice chairman told ANTARA News here Friday.

The ban on the airline flights didn`t only hamper Indonesian planes to fly to Europe, but it also discouraged European tourists to fly by Indonesian airlines even to domestic destinations.

"So, the ban caused a double loss to the tourism sector," he reminded.

Thus, Bahar hoped that the government and the related institutions to seriously cope with the problem because it could also adversely affect world confidence in Indonesia.

In Jakarta, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has ordered national flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia to seek the advice from a European Union aviation consultant on how to improve its flight safety and quality standards.

"European Union aviation safety and quality standards are better than those of any other country in the world, even of the United States. They have their own standards and thus we have to improve ours," Kalla said after performing Friday prayers.

The vice president made the statement in response to a question about the EU ban on Indonesian airline companies preventing them from flying to Europe.

According to Kalla, Indonesia should improve its flight safety and quality standards rather than merely lodging a protest against the EU ban.

The vice president said, what the European Union was concerned about was aviation safety and security standards, also for Indonesians themselves.