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.