Dengue fever kills four in Tangerang
Dengue fever kills four in Tangerang
TANGERANG: Dengue fever has killed four people, including
three children, in Tangerang municipality over the last four
months.
According to data released by the municipal health agency,
only four residents had contracted the disease in January. But
during February and April, the number of people who came down
with the disease was 48, four of whom had died.
"Therefore, we call on residents to be alert as the number of
dengue cases usually increase between April and May," the
agency's director, Nuriman Machyudin, told The Jakarta Post on
Saturday.
He added that this year would see the peak of the dengue fever
cycle, which usually occurred every five years.
According to Dr. Lisa at the Tangerang General Hospital, the
deaths of all the victims was due to those affected seeking
treatment to late.
"Should there be any indication that someone has contracted
dengue fever, he or she must be taken to the hospital as soon as
possible," she said, adding that the disease attacked people of
all ages.
According to Nuriman, his agency had taken preventative
measures to reduce the number of dengue fever cases. These steps
included a campaign to teach people how to help eradicate the
disease.--JP
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Focus-Jakarta-JORR
JORR section to be completed in July
JP/8/GREATER
JORR section to be completed in July
JAKARTA: Toll road operator PT Jasa Marga is expected to complete
the first part of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) by July this
year.
The company spokesman, Satria Genefanto said that all segments
of the first part of JORR could be completed by July 2003 after
the company reached an agreement on land clearence for the
construction of the Veteran-Ulujami segment.
Because of the land clearence, he said PT Jasa Marga had
suspended the tender for the construction of the eight-kilometer
segment.
"We have to do land clearence first before starting
construction work," he said as quoted by Antara.
He said the construction of the Veteran-Ulujami segment had
originally been scheduled for completion in August, and the
construction of the TMII Junction-Ceger in East Jakarta, Ceger-
Jalan Raya Hankam, and Pondok Pinang-Veteran segments in South
Jakarta in July.
He said the second part of JORR would include the Hankam-
Jatiasih and Jatiasih-Cikunir segments.
Hopefully, building contractors will submit their bid for the
construction of the second part to the tender committee early in
December, he said.
"By the end of December 2003, the tender winner can be
announced and construction work can be started early in January
2004. We aim to complete it (the second part) by the end of
2004," he said.--JP
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Focus-Tangerang-factory
Residents demand factory closure
JP/8/GREATER
Residents demand factory closure
TANGERANG: Residents in Karang Tengah subdistrict in Tangerang
municipality have asked the local administration to shut down a
plastics factory operated by PT Aries as its liquid waste
discharges had polluted their wells.
"Officials of the municipal environmental agency took water
samples from residents' wells to be examined last year. But to
date, we haven't received any reports on the test results," Asmin
Hidayat, the head of community unit (RW) 05, said on
Saturday.
He said residents had lost patience after waiting for one year
with no sign of the test results being announced by the agency.
"In the meantime, we can no longer use the water from our wells
as it has been polluted by the waste. We demand that the factory
be closed," he said.
A number of RW-05 residents told The Jakarta Post that they
could no longer drink or use the water for bathing or other
purposes. Many of them had suffered skin ailments and they had to
buy water for their daily needs.
"Look at the body, legs and hands of my son. They are covered
with ulcers and sores, and it's all because of using the polluted
water for bathing," a resident named Untung said.
Separately, Maria, the owner of PT Aries, strongly denied that
her factory had polluted the residents' wells. "These accusations
are groundless and fabricated. They're not true. I am sure this
is all the work of people who are jealous of us and have tried to
purposely provoke the residents," said Maria, who established the
factory with her husband Ari in 1996.--JP
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Focus-bekasi-marijuana
Police seize 1.8 tons of marijuana
JP/8/8g-ganja
Police seize 1.8 tons of marijuana
BEKASI: Bekasi Police confiscated on Saturday 1.8 tons of
marijuana from the back of a truck in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi.
Head of Bekasi Police station Sr. Comr. Bachtiar Hasanudin
said police officers became suspicious after spotting a truck
that was driving with its headlights off. The officers stopped
the vehicle and inspected it.
The truck, traveling from Brastagi, North Sumatra, to Jakarta,
was carrying cabbage and jars of jelly, the official Antara news
agency reported.
Underneath the heads of cabbage were 70 sacks and several
boxes containing marijuana, he said.
The sacks weighed between 24 kilograms and 25 kg each and the
boxes weighed between 5 kg and 10 kg each, he said.
Bachtiar said the load of marijuana was destined for West
Java. - JP