DKI Jakarta housing agency cites high population density as main barrier to tackling slum areas

The Head of the DKI Jakarta Housing and Settlement Service (DPRKP), Kelik Indriyanto, said that one of the biggest obstacles in handling slum areas in the capital is the density of housing. “The biggest obstacles in addressing slum areas in Jakarta include the high density of housing, the limited availability of land for building housing facilities and infrastructure, the issue of land-use compatibility, and land ownership legality,” Kelik said in Central Jakarta on Friday. He stated that, based on Permen PUPR No 14 of 2018, the identification of slum conditions is assessed across seven aspects: building condition, neighbourhood road condition, drinking water provision, neighbourhood drainage condition, wastewater management, solid waste management, and fire protection. A RW (neighbourhood association) is declared to be out of the slum category if its slum condition assessment score falls below the threshold (non-slum criterion) based on those indicators. The Jakarta Provincial Government has implemented a programme to improve housing quality from 2018 to the present. The programme uses an integrated neighbourhood development approach covering physical environment, social, cultural and economic aspects. Handling of slum areas in Jakarta is carried out through several patterns: rehabilitation, renewal, and resettlement, according to the condition of the RW slum. Kelik said most of it is carried out through organising and upgrading the existing RW slums so that the environment becomes more habitable through the rehabilitation pattern. For renewal patterns, the Jakarta Provincial Government has carried out in locations such as Akuarium, Kunir, Palmerah, and Tanah Tinggi through comprehensive tidying of houses along with infrastructure facilities and utilities. Meanwhile for the resettlement pattern, it is undertaken in areas where it is not possible to sustain due to spatial planning and safety factors, such as Kampung Bukit Duri, which was relocated to Rusun Tumbuh Kembang Cakung and Rusunawa locations.