Squatters cause epidemic in Seribu islands

JAKARTA (JP): For the people of the Seribu islands, a call of nature usually means a trip to the beach. However, health experts warn that this old habit is the cause of serious health problems.

Dr. Subagio Partodihardjo, a member of the City Council who was head of a public health center on the island group between 1973 and 1978, said that this practice had made the islands population prone to intestinal worms and other diseases.

Subagio, who has repeatedly visited the islands, was quoted by Antara news agency on Wednesday, saying that almost 100 percent of the 14,467 people who live on 10 of the 47 islands are suffering from intestinal worms.

Thirty-seven other islands have been turned into tourist destinations by the city authorities.

According to Subagio the Seribu islands residents had been reluctant to use toilets although many such facilities had been built there.

"Most of them believe using the facilities means feeding the fishes which they will consume along with their own feces," he said.

"That is why," Subagio said, "they like to leave their waste on the sand."

According to the physician, the authorities should continue with their health campaign on the islands to make the people aware that their dirty habit is hazardous to their health and brief them on how the worms spread.

"It is quite ironic for the people who refuse to eat fish in fear of suffering from intestinal worms get them -- especially ascaris lumbricoides type -- through the wastes they leave on the sand.

While Dr. Sonny Lumbantobing, head of the North Jakarta Health Service, said that last year 2,221 people of the Seribu Islands suffered from lung diseases, 761 from diarrhea, 1,114 from skin disease and 204 from dysentery.

He said they also suffer from other infectious diseases.

Lumbantobing said the primary causes of the diseases were their bad sanitary habits and their dependence on rain water.

According to an observer from Antara, the beaches of some of the Seribu islands, especially Pulau Pangang, Pulau Pramuka, Pulau Tidung, Pulau Kelapa and Pulau Karya, look inviting but, in fact, are dotted with human waste.

Meanwhile, Mahbud, the chief of Panggang Island administration, confirmed recently that it was difficult to change the mentality of the people there even though they were aware that using the beaches as a toilet was hazardous to their health.

"We have conducted many campaigns against the bad practice but they remained stubborn," he said.

While Sari, 16, a resident of Tidung Island, said that the people believe that using the sand was more practical than a toilet.

"After using the beach they can jump onto their boats and go fishing," she explained.

Sari, who only has primary school education, shyly smiled when she was asked whether she was also one of the beach "squatters." (tis)