Seribu Island residents living in dark times

Seribu Island residents living in dark times

By Hera Diani

TIDUNG ISLAND, Seribu Islands (JP): Residents of Tidung island
and several of its neighbors in the Seribu Islands are returning
to the Dark Ages, literally.

For three months and several days now, electricity has not
reached the island -- a two-hour drive, plus another two-and-a-
half-hour boat cruise away from Jakarta -- due to technical
problems.

Although many have submitted complaints to the state-owned
electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN),
electricity has yet to illuminate the islands.

"As a result, our children can't study at night, although
they're facing final examinations," Abdul Rasyid from the Seribu
Islands Community Alliance (AMKS) told The Jakarta Post here on
Saturday.

"Theft has also become rampant here. They only steal clothes
or chickens, though, but still it's disturbing," he added.

People at the islands are now dependent on the few diesel
machines owned by some residents.

"But we have to pay an extra Rp 3,000 (US$0.27) a night.
Besides, the lights are very dim because the few machines are
providing electricity for many houses," said Marina, a resident.

The machines light only the houses, while the rest of the area
remains dark.

Meanwhile, Maesaroh from nearby Kelapa island, an hour's boat
ride away from Tidung island, said that electricity lights parts
of his island on an alternate basis.

"The western part first, then the eastern part or vice versa.
But the tariff has increased," she said, without elaborating.

Maesaroh and Abdul were speaking on the sidelines of a three-
day discussion on the problems of living in the Seribu Islands
conducted by the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Forum for
Environment (Walhi Jakarta), which ended on Sunday.

The meeting, attended by representatives from several islands,
councillors and other government's officers, aimed at finding
solutions over problems faced by residents of the Seribu Islands.

Electricity is not the only issue, as garbage, environmental
damage, clean water, health and education facilities were among
things raised in the discussion.

The main causes are lack of qualified human resources and low
accessibility from Jakarta on the Java mainland.

The Seribu Islands have an area of 69,976 square kilometers
with 9,214 square kilometers, or 13 percent of it as land.

The Islands are currently divided into four villages: Panggang
island (with 13 small islands) Untung Jawa island (16 small
islands), Tidung island (16 small islands) and Kelapa island (65
islands), all of which are under the North Jakarta mayoralty.

Of the total of 106 islands, at least 11 of the Seribu Islands
have been known for years as favorite resorts for wealthy
Jakartans, expatriates, tourists and scuba divers.

Data shows that the resorts have so far lured an average of
some 22,000 visitors per year, although there is no data
revealing the revenue obtained from the visitors.

A total of 17,944 people inhabit the islands, with 71 percent
of them fishermen, mostly impoverished.

North Jakarta mayoralty recorded in 1999 that most of the
residents are only elementary school graduates.

In Tidung for example, of some 5,000 people, around half of
them did not even graduate from elementary school; some 30
percent are elementary school graduates; 7.5 percent are junior
high school graduates; 6.3 percent are senior high school
graduates and only 2.2 percent are college graduates.

Tjuk Sudono, councillor of Commission D for public works,
development and environmental affairs proposed the establishment
of mobile schools and also a mobile hospital.

He asked the residents to be more assertive and not just wait
for help from the government.

"I must admit that the city administration is very slow in
responding to its people's demands. So, urge them. Write letters,
don't just wait," said Tjuk of the National Mandate Party (PAN)
faction.

The status of the islands will be elevated to an
administrative regency, and therefore, the people should ask for
more facilities such as hospitals and schools, he said.

Environment

The Seribu Islands is also facing critical environmental
damage.

Ahmad Safrudin, chief executive of Walhi Jakarta, said that
only 12 percent of the coral reefs in the area are still in good
condition.

"As the result, the number of fish is decreasing. The
indication is fishermen's complaints, saying that they used to
catch fish easily around their islands. But now they have to sail
quite far to get the fish," he told the Post.

Other threats are abrasion and over-exploitation of the sands,
which caused several islands to be washed away by the sea.

Since 1983, as many as 10 islands have vanished in stages from
the waters, and studies say that many more could follow.

He pointed out the development of a resort on Serabu island,
that had expanded the size of the island from only 2.9 hectares
originally to six hectares now as a result of reclamation, using
soil and land from other nearby islands.

It's actually forbidden to build a resort on the island, he
added, because it's included in the main zone of sea park
conservation.

"But you know, as long as the investors pay ... Whereas the
consequences are very dangerous for the environment," Ahmad said.