Tambora's Density Not Only Causes Slums, But Also Other Lurking Threats

Extreme density in Tambora sub-district, West Jakarta, is said not only to create slum areas but also to bring various other threats to residents, from fires, floods, diseases, to social conflicts. Urban planning observer from the University of Indonesia (UI), Muh Azis Muslim, stated that the overly dense settlement conditions make Tambora residents live in situations vulnerable to various disasters and social problems. “These fatal impacts must be borne by residents every day, from vulnerability to disasters like fires, to high rates of social conflicts,” Azis told Kompas.com by telephone on Friday (8/5/2026). According to Azis, the layout of houses in Tambora that are pressed together makes fire very easy to spread when an electrical short circuit occurs. Even, one small point of fire is said to be able to destroy an entire area because access for firefighting vehicles is difficult to reach the narrow alleys in the dense settlements. “Just one small trigger can destroy a dense area, especially since access for firefighting vehicles is very difficult to reach the fire point,” he said. He mentioned that this condition makes Tambora one of the areas that often experiences large fires in West Jakarta. “In addition, the absence of open spaces makes water infiltration areas very scarce, thus triggering flood threats during the rainy season,” Azis stated. The humid environmental conditions and minimal air circulation are also assessed to trigger health problems for residents. According to Azis, diseases related to poor sanitation such as Tuberculosis (TB) and diarrhoea often appear in the dense area. “Various kinds of diseases related to sanitation and poor air circulation, including Tuberculosis (TB) and diarrhoea, often appear to infect residents,” he said. He added that these conditions ultimately worsen the social vulnerability of the community, including high poverty rates and criminality.