Responding to Pramono's Remark, Tambora Subdistrict Head in West Jakarta Admits Many Slum Neighbourhoods in 8 Villages
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Head of Tambora Subdistrict, Pangestu Aji, has responded to the statement by Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung, who described West Jakarta and North Jakarta as the areas with the highest number of slum neighbourhoods (RW) in the capital.
Pangestu admitted that his area still has many neighbourhoods classified as slums.
Out of the 11 villages in Tambora Subdistrict, eight of them still have slum settlements, ranging from very mild to severe levels.
One of the main parameters for an area being deemed a slum is extreme population density as well as limited basic infrastructure such as sanitation.
Additionally, many residents of Tambora still do not have septic tanks and dispose of waste directly into connecting drains (PHB).
Pangestu stated that one of the causes of the many slum neighbourhoods in Tambora is the economic condition of the community, with around 40 percent belonging to the lower-middle class.
As a result, their lifestyle and living conditions are also influenced by these economic limitations.
“We can see from their habits, with makeshift buildings, one house consists of several households, and sleeping might be up to three shifts, taking turns; there are still people like that,” said Pangestu.
“So, for example, at night the parents sleep, the children are outside the house; this is also what makes brawls prone in Tambora,” he added.
This includes thinking about how to transform slum settlements into more decent places to live.
“So, it’s already difficult to think about the good things; the important thing is to think about how today, tomorrow, and the future are a bit difficult; how about today, it’s hard just to eat and live, let alone think about other things,” he further said.
In Governor’s Regulation Number 33 of 2024, one of the areas classified as severely slum is RW 03 in Jembatan Besi Village, Tambora.
This was confirmed by the Head of RW 03 in Jembatan Besi Village, Didi Mawardi, that his area holds the status of severe slum category according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).