Evacuees allege mismanagement of recent floods

Evacuees allege mismanagement of recent floods

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of Jakarta residents staged a noisy
protest against the government yesterday for the handling of the
major flood sweeping the city that killed six people early this
week.

"Arrest me, shoot me if you will, I am not afraid... I will
bear testimony for those who are perpetually being marginalized,"
a man was heard shouting at the gates of the State Ministry of
Environment office.

The man is one of a group of 50 people who claim to be
residents of the East Jakarta district of Cawang, one of the
hardest-hit districts in the city.

"My nephew died," "My sister is missing," "My feet are
injured," "Where are those funds you promised us?" "I'm ashamed
to be an Indonesian," shouted the crowd, some of whom were
smeared with mud.

Four of them representing the group were eventually invited
into a security guard booth.

"We do not expect this disaster to happen and we will try to
do our best as soon as possible," said Sudariyono, an assistant
to the minister.

"This disaster is not God-sent," said the flood victims, "it
is a result of human error."

Prior to the meeting, the group distributed pamphlets that put
the blame on the government for allowing the affluent to build
golf courses, housing complexes in the nearby mountain resort
thereby eliminating the vital trees to absorb rain water.

Earlier, a different group of 13 people who also claimed to
have come from the same district lodged their complaints at the
office.

The group was received by three government officials at the
conference room.

"I am disheartened by the lack of concern shown to us," said
Dayat, the coordinator of the Cawang III Spontaneous Youth
Formation.

"We have received virtually nothing from the government except
official inspection," he said.

"It's ironic how we, already devastated and impoverished
victims, are still hard-pressed to pay for medical expenses,"
said Denny Tamdani, a rice merchant. "My husband had to pay Rp.
18,000 for his nail-punctured finger."

Sudarsono, secretary to the minister, said that the disaster
was something we had not expected to happen.

"We will try our best to take immediate action," he said.

The group demanded that the government immediately provide
medical aid, clean away animal carcasses and provide clean water
for fear of infectious diseases.

"The flood is the result of various complex issues," said Tati
Krisnawaty, 35, a member of the group, "not merely natural
disaster. It essentially boils down to societies' indifferent
attitude toward the environment."

Some government officials had earlier put the blame of the
flood on the people.

Krisnawaty added that the problem arose because of faulty
implementation of zoning plans, lack of attention to detail in
environmental analysis as well as the public's own ignorance.

She urged the government to take a holistic view of
development and seek curative and preventative solution based on
the view.

Meanwhile, a researcher at the University of Indonesia's Human
Resource and Environmental Research Center urged the government
to incorporate environmental impact analysis into zoning plans.

"So far it has not been compulsory to include the
environmental impact analysis into zoning plans," Bianpoen told
The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Many water catchment areas, especially in North Jakarta, have
been eliminated, he said. More than 30 percent of North Jakarta,
he said, is supposed to have a water catchment function.

Chalid Muhammad, another environmental scientist said that
Indonesians have not developed an environmentally-conscious
oriented vision of development.

"Countless government policies allow people to build houses on
Puncak which is a water-ooze zone," he told The Jakarta Post
yesterday. (14/01)