Up to 1970s, Jakarta was
known as a big village. But now with high skyscraper buildings scattered around
surrounded by modern suburbs, it becomes a big metropolitan. However, the densely
populated slums in peripheral areas remain untouched mainly alongside rivers, unused
state lands, and railways.
The huts and small illegal
houses which pack together in cluster giving no space between one another are
prone to unhealthy environment and more fatally big fires. The latter takes toll
of the huge amount of citizens’ properties and sometimes human life. The fire incident
is caused mainly by an electric short circuit and by stove
explosion in the second place.
Statistically, two or three
fires damage Jakarta every day, especially at those highly populated slums
such as Tambora in West Jakarta, Tanah Abang and Bendungan Hilir in Central
Jakarta. Since January to July 2012, there have been around 560 cases of fires
raging over various parts of the city taking toll of 30 human lives.
Just to take for example, the
fire incident in Tambora, 28 July 2012 devastated 500 houses making at least
1,400 people were homeless. Amazingly, no longer than 10 days after, the fire raged again the area, where
75 houses were destroyed and 400 people homeless. Just two days before, in
Bendungan Hilir fire destroyed more than 100 houses causing 500 people
homeless. The lesson was never learned.
Most people living in the
slum areas have migrated from outside the city illegally occupying the areas. They
build the rudimentary huts with fire-prone materials, barely any alley to cross
and no water supply in or close to the site. Most of the electrical installations in the shelters do not meet with the standard. The illegal electricity
conjunction, that people connect from the electric lines, aggravates the condition.
The danger of fire is
imminent as most people there are reckless about such danger that haunts them. It is almost impossible to extinguish the fire if it happens as not enough
water available and no fire-truck can approach the spot. Within a short time, the flame will propagate to the whole area fiercely consuming everything
around.
But, this is not the only
story. Business centers and factories with complete fire extinguishers are occasionally
vulnerable to fire. The last incident was on August 12, just four days after
the second Tambora’s fire, a total of 27 stalls at Harco Glodok, in the Chinese
town were combusted.
To cope with the electrical
short circuit hazard, PLN together with the electric contractor associations
have to intensively socialize people to use proper and standardized electrical
equipment and re-check regularly the condition of electric installation. More
importantly, PLN should selectively supply the power to fire-vulnerable huts
and houses and refuse to do so especially for illegal shelters.
Does the fire become Jakarta everlasting problem?
