VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indian government reportedly temporarily closed five coal-fired power plants on Wednesday 17 November, after more and more children were hospitalized due to worsening air pollution in New Delhi, India.

According to a Reuters report, November 17, 2021, some hospitals in New Delhi also experienced a sharp increase in the number of children with respiratory complaints, raising concerns among parents and doctors about their health in the short and long term.

According to what is happening in the National Capital Region (NCR), the metropolitan area that includes the satellite cities of Delhi that have prolonged exposure to pollutants has tripled over the last seven to 10 days. This is certainly worrying.

Meanwhile, Europe also reported that air pollution caused the premature death of more than 300,000 Europeans in 2019. The European Environment Agency (EEA) says, three main pollutants: fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, are the main elements that worsen health.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge said that in anticipating the death toll that fell both in India and Europe, the choice is to invest, especially in heating systems, mobility, agriculture and industry which are cleaner for health. This will result in better productivity, and a better quality of life for everyone, especially for the most vulnerable. These investments save lives and also help accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality and strong biodiversity. Dr Kluge also remarked that prolonged exposure to pollutants, including lead, can lead to more severe complications.

Breathing clean air should be a fundamental human right. This condition is necessary for a healthy and productive society. The improvement in air quality over the next few years will serve as a guide to achieving the levels in the new WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines.

The world must also agree on consensus guidance at the 2021 COP26 summit to phase out coal-fired power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and direct increased funding to climate finance to reduce the health impacts of air pollution.

Hazardous and Toxic waste or B3 is an environmental problem that is the focus of countries in the world, including Indonesia. From 2015 to 2019, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) recorded a significant increase in land contaminated with hazardous and toxic waste or B3. Waste cannot be separated from industrial activities; one of them is upstream oil and gas activities. In a 2015-article in the Journal of Petroleum and Environment Biotechnology, it was stated that at the oil production rate of 860 thousand barrels per day, there is an oil sludge waste of around 51 thousand cubic meters per year.

Athallah Naufal, a student of the Petroleum Engineering Study Program at Pertamina University found an effective way to treat oil sludge waste. His innovation is the manufacture of bio-surfactants from waste cooking oil. His waste treatment innovation attracted the attention of the jury and managed to win 1^st place at the prestigious Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Asia Pacific Regional Student Paper Contest. As a result, he will present the Asia-Pacific Region to compete at the SPE International Conference in Houston, October 2022.

The idea for processing oil sludge waste, According to Athallah, was obtained from observations made by several oil and gas companies. Oil sludge waste treatment is mostly done with the help of 3^rd parties. The company must accommodate the waste in the drilling area until it reaches a certain volume, then it can be handed over to the waste processor. With this innovation, the company can treat oil sludge waste on site. The handling is also quite fast. That efficiency reaches 82.7 per cent.

Having been delayed for four years, the Oldest Art Exhibition in Indonesia, the 2021 Jakarta Biennale is held again. This year, the event is bigger with a hybrid format by cooperating with around 70 individual artists and collaborators. Carrying the theme ESOK, the Jakarta Biennale is a presentation for Jakarta City and its residents who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. With this theme, the Jakarta Biennale is expected to strengthen solidarity across borders, genders, and across history for mutual progress towards a better future. Artistic Director of the Jakarta Biennale, Dolorosa Sinaga said that this event is held at the first location which was held 47 years ago. Jakarta Biennale 1974 was the first biennale held at the STOVIA Building or the National Awakening Museum. In this building, this event is held again to use the historical value of the STOVIA building as a revival which is very closely related to the Jakarta Biennale.

The contemporary art event, which has been held since 1974 in Indonesia, is open from November 21, 2021 to January 21, 2022. This biennial contemporary art event is held at the National Museum, the National Awakening Museum (STOVIA), and public spaces in the Central Jakarta area. The exhibition also features the Ring Project, a collaborative art project between Gudskul and Sandy Lo, which brings Indonesian artists along with collectives from India, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. The works, which are featured in this year's Jakarta Biennale 2021, are the work of 38 Indonesian and international artists.

The 2021 Jakarta Biennale hosts various activities, including a public symposium on art activism, humanity, the hyper-digitalized world in the context of human rights, digital disturbance, cybercrime, and post-human conditions. In addition, this exhibition also holds programs that involve the public, such as Guided Tours for the community, various art workshops, and film screenings.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Tokyo introduced the first wooden Angklung in the world, created by Dhany Irfansyah. This event was held to commemorate World Angklung Day, November 16, 2021. This wooden Angklung is the latest innovation in the art of Angklung culture. Usually, Angklung is made of bamboo.

Dhany Irfansyah created the wooden Angklung by utilizing wood materials that can be easily found in every country. This is certainly a driving force for the spread of Angklung throughout the world. This was stated by Indonesian Ambassador to Japan and the Federated States of Micronesia, Heri Akhmadi in a press release received by ANTARA in Jakarta, on Tuesday (16/11).

The launch of the wooden Angklung was carried out at the ambassador's residence in Tokyo by Ambassador Heri Akhmadi, who was accompanied by Coordinator of the Social and Cultural Information Function, Meinarti Fauzie. According to Ambassador Heri Akhmadi, wood is an alternative material for making Angklung other than bamboo. The wooden Angklung is also promoted directly on the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo's Instagram account.

On that occasion, Dhany Irfansyah appreciated the support from the Indonesian Embassy for his work. He also said that this wooden Angklung was created solely to make it easier for other countries to make Angklung from wood. Therefore, the Angklung musical instrument can spread throughout the world. Previously, Dhany had tried to make Angklung from Japanese bamboo, but the bamboo was considered unsuitable for making Angklung.

Dhany’s contribution, who is a staff member of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, in the field of music is fairly good. The man who has lived in Japan for 16 years has also created Digital Angklung through a mobile application in 2010. The application was recorded as a record at the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) which was registered by Indosat Ooredoo with Saung Udjo and Masagi Studio on November 20, 2016. MURI at that time noted that there were 3,218 people playing the Angklung Digital application via smartphones based on Android and iOS. The way to play the application is also similar to acoustic Angklung, namely by shaking it.