Industrial area grows, poverty flourishes

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Kosambi district in Tangerang has turned into a warehouse industrial area which attracts many investors, but local people who live in the area remain poor.

In fact, about 5,700 villagers in the coastal area of the district are so poor that they do not have enough food to celebrate the annual Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri.

"Ahead of this Idul Fitri, those residents in Kosambi district are in badly need of staple food," the district head, Noor Aly, was quoted by Antara as saying on Sunday.

He said there were 10 poor villages in the district. The poorest comprise Salembaran Jati, Kosambi Barat, Kosambi Timur and Rawa Burung.

The Puspa Indah Foundation has recently donated 1,000 packages, each consisting of five kilograms of rice, one kilogram of sugar, one kilogram of cooking oil, sweet soy sauce and some dates. The packages were handed over for residents of Salembaran Jati village.

People in Kosambi districts still live in poverty despite the fact that the warehouse industry in the district was experiencing robust growth. Many warehouses have been built in the area, which used to be slums, over the past two years. The development has attracted many investors as the location is close to the Soekarno-Hatta airport.

The villagers also suffer from water shortages. They can not drink the ground water, which is brackish, while the water hydrant provided by the regency administration could not provide them with enough water. Therefore, the people need to buy clean water for drinking and cooking.

Regent Agus Djunara had earlier instructed the local water company PDAM Tirta Kerta Raharja to provide clean water for the residents in Kosambi district, but the company has yet to follow up.