Jakarta slum areas growing due to crisis

JAKARTA (JP): The slum areas in the capital have sharply expanded within the last 12 months due to the severe impact of the prolonged economic crisis, and now cover 106 subdistricts as compared to only 58 subdistricts in January last year, an official said on Thursday.

Sumiyati, head of program development of the Jakarta office of the National Family Planning Board (BKKBN), said that the crisis had substantially driven down the standard of living in several subdistricts.

She explained that due to tumbling living standards there have emerged new slum areas in neighborhood units which used to be considered slum-free.

"The crisis has driven more people to living in overcrowded houses that practically have no ventilation or adequate flooring," Sumiyati told The Jakarta Post.

"During rains the conditions in the slums are usually squalid as water does not immediately subside, but even forms pools full of garbage," she said.

Data from the office revealed that 644,988 families now live in slums in the 106 subdistricts.

It also revealed that slums are now to be found in at least 221 neighborhood units in 30 of the 37 subdistricts in North Jakarta; 50 neighborhood units in 24 of the 65 subdistricts in South Jakarta; 110 neighborhood units in 24 of the 44 subdistricts in Central Jakarta; 43 neighborhood units in 18 of the 65 subdistricts in East Jakarta; and 93 neighborhood units in 10 of the 54 subdistricts in West Jakarta.

Meanwhile, West Jakarta Mayor Sarimun Hadisaputra said that the number of slum areas would decrease in line with an increase in the standard of living.

"It is not that the people living there do not want to work because they are lazy. But there are just no job opportunities any longer," Sarimun said.

"How can the standard of living be raised when job opportunities are scarce everywhere?" he asked.

Sumiyati added that given the increase in the number of overcrowded slum areas, the capital would be faced with providing proper medical attention to the people living there.

She said that last year a foreign company had actually expressed its intention of providing free medical services in the city's overcrowded slum areas.

"Up to now, however, we have not received any assistance from that quarter," Sumiyati said, without giving details of the name of the company.

Meanwhile, Sarimun said that the city administration did not have any program specially designed to either help with medical aid or anticipate the growing number of slum areas.

"The administration does not have the money." (ylt)