VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that the area around Pertamina's Plumpang fuel depot is a danger zone that can no longer be lived in.

"I have asked the State Owned Enterprises Minister and Jakarta Governor to immediately seek solutions for the incident in Plumpang, especially because this is a dangerous zone, no longer inhabitable," Jokowi said here on Sunday.

The president conveyed the statement after monitoring an evacuation site for the fire victims located at Rasela Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space (RPTRA), Koja, North Jakarta.

"It is possible that the Plumpang (fuel depot) is moved to a reclamation (island) or the residents are moved to a relocation (area)," he added.

Jokowi recalled the plan to build a buffer zone that will separate Plumpang fuel depot and the residential area surround it.

The issue regarding the buffer zone resurfaced following a fire incident at the Plumpang fuel depot operated by state energy company Pertamina on Friday (March 3, 2023), which claimed 17 lives and inflicted serious injuries to 49 people.

"Back then, it was planned to create the water zone, rivers on the left and right sides. However, it has not reached the point of finding solutions for the residents there," Jokowi said.

He explained that a buffer zone with a distance of 50 meters between the fuel depot and the residential area had been proposed by the Jakarta Provincial Government in 2009.

The proposal was made after an explosion at the Plumpang fuel depot, which caused a massive fire that reached nearby residential area in 2009.

President Jokowi stressed that he would continue to seek solutions because the safety of the community is the main priority.

The president has ordered State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir and Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono to relocate the victims' homes in one or two days. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The Jakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded that 1,085 people were sought refuge in some nearby buildings following a fire that broke out at a fuel storage depot operated by state energy company Pertamina in Plumpang, North Jakarta.  

The fire broke out on Friday (March 3, 2023) at around 8:10 p.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB).

"Joint officers that are coordinated by BPBD have provided services to the evacuees," Acting Head of Data, Information and Communication Center of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Abdul Muhari said here on Saturday.

The 1,085 people were evacuated to several locations: 356 evacuees at Rasella Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space, 258 evacuees at the Golkar Walang building, 132 evacuees at North Jakarta Red Cross Indonesia (PMI) office, and 79 evacuees at South Rawa Badak village head office.

Then, there are also 74 evacuees at the office of North Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration, and Energy Office, 63 evacuees at Al-Kuromas Mosque, 63 evacuees at As Sholihin Mosque, and 60 evacuees at Al-Muhajirin Mosque.

The joint officers have distributed food assistance, such as mineral water and ready-to-eat foods, as well as non-food assistance, such as mattresses, blankets, under-five child packages, family packages, sarongs, Muslim women's prayer clothes, tarps, clothing packages, and childrenswear.

The BPBD recorded that several things that are urgently needed by the survivors are mattresses, family tents, blankets, mats, ready-to-eat foods, medicines, and clean water.

According to the BPBD, the fire incident claimed 17 lives, inflicted serious injuries to 49 people, and caused moderate injuries to two.

The seriously-injured and moderately-injured survivors have been treated in several hospitals, such as Pelabuhan Hospital, Mulya Sari Hospital, Firdaus Hospital, Pekerja Hospital, Tugu Koja Regional Public Hospital, and Koja Regional Public Hospital.

Several other medical facilities have also been readied to provide services to people affected by the fire.

Currently, officers are still searching for 18 missing persons. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial Government has cooperated with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and three universities to tackle locust swarms that often attack agricultural crops on Sumba Island.

"We are cooperating with FAO and Gadjah Mada University, University of Indonesia, Bogor Agricultural University, in carrying out research for tackling migratory locust pests in Sumba," Secretary of NTT Agriculture and Food Security Office Joaz Bily Oemboe Wanda said in a statement received here, Sunday.

He explained that his office, FAO, and the three universities are carrying out field research regarding migratory locusts, including their ecosystem, to support the handling.

According to Wanda, the problem of locust pests on Sumba Island is quite complex because it involves the ecosystem that is interrelated.

He noted that the habitats of migratory locusts are damp and closed areas or forests like in East Sumba District.

Certain bird species has become the predator of migratory locusts that put their population under control. However, when the population of predator birds is declining, the population of locusts rises rapidly.

"Complex conditions like this are studied in the field, including the environmental changes that cause locusts to migrate to seek new places to eat," he said.

Wanda added that migratory locusts usually attack agricultural crops, such as corn, sugarcane, and rice, sporadically at certain locations.

He stated that efforts to tackle locusts have also been made through synergy with the relevant ministry and four district governments on Sumba Island.

According to him, the provincial government also has one plant protection technical unit in Lewa Sub-district, East Sumba District, that provides and distributes pesticides.

"Steps for handling locust pests are conducted massively in the field. Thus, it is expected that in the future, the potential for damages in agricultural crops can be minimized," he remarked. (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Perry Warjiyo stated that Indonesia's economy would be able to grow 5.1 percent annually in 2023 as the authority has continued to control inflation.

"Inflation in the second half (of 2023) can (fall) below 4 percent. In the first semester, inflation remains above 5 percent so we have to work hard in reducing inflation, especially food inflation," he said at the kick-off event for the 2023 Food Inflation Control National Movement (GNPIP) followed online on Sunday.

Inflation control by maintaining food security will encourage people's consumption which contributes more than 50 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP).

"Indonesia can also increase exports to Indonesia and China that currently become sources of the world's economic growth," Warjiyo said.

Currently, the government is trying to control the prices of commodities by synergizing, especially to control the prices of foods such as rice and cooking oil.

BI, with its 46 representative offices spread across Indonesia, also continues to cooperate with regional governments in improving food security.

The 2023 GNPIP will be carried out through various programs, such as affordable markets, strengthening of cooperation between regions, subsidies for freight costs, chili-planting movement, business model replication, provision of agricultural tools and machines to farmers, and strengthening of coordination and communication.

At Sunday's event, Warjiyo stated that last year's edition of GNPIP, which was started in July, was able to reduce food inflation from 11.47 percent annually to 5.61 percent at the end of 2022.

"In all regions, food inflation in 2022 also experienced a drastic decrease," he stated.

Through the 2022 GNPIP, BI held 2,638 cheap market events, formed 63 cross-region collaborations, carried out 75 freight cost subsidy programs, and distributed 2.4 million grow bags.

BI also carried out 86 business model replication programs, distributed agricultural tools and machines worth Rp32.21 billion and carried out 48 programs for data and information digitalization. (Antaranews)