Indonesian health risks climb with temperatures

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned Wednesday that Indonesia could expect more frequent and severe outbreaks of dengue fever and diarrhea as a result of global warming.

"A recent rise in dengue fever cases during the rainy season in Indonesia may be caused by extreme changes in precipitation patterns and warming temperatures," WWF-Indonesia's program director for climate and energy, Fitrian Ardiansyah told a media gathering Wednesday.
"Bogor in West Java, for instance, recently recorded a significant increase in the number of dengue fever patients, which was previously not the case."

In addition to the impact of global warming on human health in Indonesia, WWF's report, titled Change in Indonesia -Implications for Humans and Nature, shows that climate change has also affected the country's overall water availability, sea levels, biodiversity and ecosystem.

A study conducted by WWF-Indonesia on Lombok Island, for instance, revealed that there was a disturbance to the island's ecosystem and functions, including a significant reduction in the amount of available spring water.

According to WWF-Indonesia's executive director and CEO, Mubariq Ahmad, because climate change's impacts are already noticeable in Indonesia, the country should lead the way in the fight against global warming.

"Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world and home to a staggering amount of biodiversity on this planet. The government must take its role seriously and lead the way," he said.

He said Indonesia had ratified the UN Framework on Climate Change in 1994 and the Kyoto Protocol a decade later.

Indonesia is considered to be one of the countries that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to high population density, high levels of biodiversity and its 80,000 kilometers of coastline and 17,500 islands.

Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry released earlier on Wednesday the results of this year's monitoring and evaluation of automobile gasoline and diesel fuel quality in 30 Indonesian cities, including Ambon, Manado and Jayapura.

The evaluation reported, among other things, a slight decrease in the overall lead content in fuel, from 0.038 grams per liter last year to 0.00385 grams per liter this year.

Further, the average research octane number (RON) rating was reported at 88.74 and 90.76 at the maximum, which fulfills the RON rating of 88 set by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The octane number assigned to a motor fuel is a measure of its ability to burn in the combustion chamber. The lower the octane number, the more easily the gasoline ignites.

The report also revealed a general increase of sulfur in diesel fuel, with some cities scoring over the 3,500-ppm level

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Campaign educates students on bird flu

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Mojokerto

The National Committee for Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness (Komnas FBPI) and the United Nations Children's Education Fund are conducting a national campaign aimed at educating students on bird flu and ways to prevent it.

The anti-bird flu drive was launched Tuesday at Kebonagung state elementary school in Puri district, Mojokerto, East Java. It is the first school in the country to include introductory exercises and information on the spread of the disease in its curriculum.

The campaign organizers showed students a 7-minute animated public promotion film called "Bajuri's Family Prepare for Bird Flu", which is to be broadcast nation-wide in the near future.

The film's characters are based on the cast of the popular TV's series "Bajaj Bajuri."

Ahmad Kholik, a teacher from the school, quizzed the students after the film's screening.
"How many of you have poultry at home?" Ahmad asked the students.

Of the 30 students in the classroom, eight raised their hands, saying they had between three to 11 caged birds or chickens in their backyards.

"What can you do to avoid bird flu infection?"

"Wash our hands with soap so the germs will die," answered one student.

Alif Nurahlina, 11, said teachers gave bird flu awareness lessons during science class once a week. The teachers often asked the students to complete assignments, which included collecting information on bird flu from newspapers and the Internet.

"There are no poultry at my house, however, my neighbors raise chickens which should be caged, but they roam freely around the house. I want to remind them but I'm afraid they will scold me instead," Alif told The Jakarta Post.

Ayu Novisia, 12, said she was aware of the bird flu virus. She was confident she would attain a high grade when she sat her school test on bird flu.

"My friends in other schools do not know much about bird flu because their schools have not yet provided them with bird flu lessons.

"Another obstacle is the high cost of Internet access to obtain bird flu information. Our parents give us Rp 500 (5 U.S. cents) to Rp 1,000 for pocket money, which is not enough to buy newspapers or surf the Internet. We have to save money first," Ayu said.

A number of studies show that most rural communities only obtain information from the radio and television because they cannot afford to buy newspapers, let alone Internet access.

Chairman of Komnas FBPI, Bayu Krisnamurthi, said his team would carry out the anti-bird flu program in 47,500 schools across the country, providing them with bird flu lesson packages known as the Bird Flu Awareness students' kits.

"Children play a crucial role in disseminating information about bird flu to their family members, thus we hope people would become more aware of bird flu.

"Around 40 percent of bird flu victims are children. With this campaign, we hope children can protect themselves (from the disease)," Bayu said.

Mojokerto Education Office head Akmad Jazuli said his office had urged every school in the regency to include bird flu material in the school curriculum.

"We will continue to train teachers so they can provide clear information on the bird flu virus to their students," Akmad said.

Bird flu has claimed the lives of 91 of the 113 patients infected with the H5N1 virus in the country.

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Blitar, A Range of Attractions in East Java

Story by Indra Harsaputra

There are many tourist attractions in Blitar, a city located right at the foot of Mount Kelud, and 167 kilometers from the East Java capital of Surabaya city, so it would be a pity if you miss it.

Apart from the grave of Indonesia’s first President Soekarno, visitors can see a tourism village that sells jimbe drums, a product of Blitar’s home industries that are successfully breaking into export markets. It is better if you cancel any planned tour to Mount Kelud, located on the border between Kediri and Blitar regencies. This is because the volcano’s status is on high alert; the famous green lake in the caldera, a major attraction, has been closed to tourists.

As of Wednesday, the Geology Disaster Mitigation and Volcanic Center, which is located in Bandung, had kept the status of Mount Kelud at level four alert, meaning great care must be taken.

But do not worry because visitors have the choice of many attractions in Blitar city, including religious centers, historical sites and also a place to shop for handicrafts, particularly the special products of the Blitar community.

In Blitar city there is the grave of Bung (brother) Karno, as the first president was widely known. This grave is seldom short of visitors. Many take a tour wanting to know more of this carver of the nation’s history; others who believe in the supernatural perform rituals in the area surrounding Bung Karno’s Grave.

After visiting president Soekarno’s grave you can enter the Bung Karno library. This library was built on 1.5 hectares in the political administrative district of Bendogerit, in the subdistrict of Sananwetan. The place is around 500 meters from Bung Karno’s grave.

In the library you can read books from the collection, including Bung Karno the People’s Voice by Cindy Adams, Bung Karno Menangis dan Mendesak (Bung Karno Weeping and Urging) by Agus Pakpahan, Riwayat dan Perjuangan Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia 17 Agustus 1945 (A Narrative on the Struggle to Proclaim the Independence of Indonesia 17 August 1945) by Adam Malik and others.

You can also see a three-meter-high statue of Bung Karno. It is located in the middle of the first floor of the A building. A wall relief sculpture depicts the life journey of Bung Karno, from his youth through to the struggle for independence and old age.

If you are interested in the architecture of the Majapahit era, the famous Hindu Kingdom which had enormous influence because it dominated a big part of the Indonesian archipelago through to the Malay peninsula, examples can be seen in the Penataran Temple. This is situated approximately 13 kilometers from the Bung Karno library.

Some people believe that the temple, which is located on the south-west slope of Mount Kelud in Penataran village, Nglegok subdistrict, protects Blitar when Mount Kelud erupts. The location is around 15 kilometers from Mount Kelud.

“In the past this temple was often used by the Hindu community in Blitar and Kediri for praying. But later the temple became a tourist attraction and we can no longer pray in the temple complex,” said Suyoto, the head of Palisade Hindu Dharma Indonesia, Arum subdistrict, Blitar.

But, said Suyoto, more than 1,000 Hindus did not object because they can pray in Pura, which is in Blitar.

“I believe that in Blitar there are hundreds of other Hindu temples that have yet to be found. Not far from the Penataran Temple complex is a village called Sewu Temple. According to my ancestors, that area has many Hindu temples which were buried by ash following the eruptions of Mount Kelud,” he said.

The Penataran Temple was built in the era of Kertajaya, the king of the Majapahit Kingdom in 1197, as an offering to Sira Paduka Bhatara Palah. The Panataran Temple was discovered in 1815 by Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), the lieutenant governor general who administered the then Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816.

Raffles together with Dr Horsfield, a scientist, visited the Penataran Temple. The result of their visit was reported in The History of Java, which was published in two volumes.

Raffles’ steps were later followed by other researchers namely J. Crawfurd, then Van Meeteren Brouwer (1828), Junghun (1884), Jonathan Rigg (1848) and N.W.Hoepermans, who in 1886 made an inventory of the Penataran Temple complex.

Before you leave Blitar city don’t forget to buy souvenirs, like jimbe drums the product of Blitar’s home industries. You can buy drums in the tourist village of Tanggungsantren in Blitar regency, with prices starting from Rp 5,000 (about US 50 cents) up to Rp 500,000 (US$54).

“Our products are of international quality because they are mostly exported to countries in Africa like Tunisia, to Europe, Australia and the United States,” said the Romdhani, the head of the Timber Manufacturers’ Group.

“We started making jimbe drums just five years ago. Before that we made many traditional toys using mahogany, such as yo-yos and catapults. But because buyers lost interest in the traditional toys we finally started producing drums,” he said.

Ramdhani said that the jimbe name was taken because many overseas visitors called the drum a jimbe after the skin-covered hand drums from West Africa known as djembe. Finally manufacturers used the name jimbe drum to mark it as a Blitar specialty.

Now there are 30 home industries making jimbe drums.

“We try to substitute mahogany with nangka (jackfruit tree) timber because supplies of mahogany are getting scarce in the forest. Many mahogany trees are small and not ready for felling,” said Romdhani.

“We keep increasing the quality by decorating parts of the drum, including using motifs of Australian Aboriginal tribes. We want to satisfy customers so buyers will continue to patronize Blitar’s home industry handicrafts,” he said.

What a pity that after offering jimbe drums, Blitar doesn’t provide any special local culinary delight, like Kediri does with its tofu or Yogyakarta with its bakpia, (a dry cake made from flour). However the food in Blitar is cheaper when compared to Surabaya.

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Indonesians Refuse to Leave Volcano

By INDRA HARSAPUTRA Associated Press Writer
MOUNT KELUD, Indonesia Nov 3, 2007 (AP)
photo by AP Photo/Tresnadi


More than 25,000 villagers were refusing to leave their homes on the slopes of a killer Indonesian volcano on Sunday despite warnings by scientists the peak was poised for a powerful eruption, officials said.

"They believe it will not erupt," said Sigit Raharjo, a spokesman for the local government close to Mount Kelud in the heart of the country's densely populated Java island. "They are being very foolish. All we can do is ask them to leave."

Kelud one of more than 100 active volcanos in Indonesia has been on the highest alert level for more than two weeks, but on Saturday recorded a spike in activity that led scientists to wrongly declare an eruption had begun.

Scores of people, including women hauling babies in slings, descended from the mountain in police trucks and on bicycles and motorcycles. Some were in tears.

"I am afraid because the authorities say this eruption will be worse than the ones that have come before," said Marsini, resident of a village three miles from the crater. "They say there may be poisonous gas. I am leaving now."

Despite the exodus, Raharjo said only some 12,000 out of about 38,000 people living within six miles of the peak had moved into tent camps or government buildings a safe distance from the volcano.

In 1990, Mt. Kelud killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds. In 1919, a powerful explosion that could be heard hundreds of miles away destroyed dozens of villages and killed at least 5,160.

Scientists fear a buildup of magma under Kelud's crater lake could trigger a violent blast, sending a torrent of mud, ash and rock careering down the side of the 5,679-foot mountain.

But they also note any eruption could be small or may not happen at all.

On Saturday, the peak recorded nonstop volcanic tremors and a surge in temperature at its lake. Monitors fled their observation posts convinced an eruption had begun, but were unable to visually confirm it because the peak was shrouded in fog.

They later said it had not erupted. It was not clear Sunday whether they had returned to their posts.

For weeks, authorities have pleaded with villagers to move to tent camps or government buildings, but have faced resistance. Many people have insisted on staying behind to tend to crops or look after their houses

Some apparently believe a local myth, which claims that if residents turn off all the lights and speak softly, then the mountain won't erupt.

Indonesia is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes because of its location within the so-called "Ring of Fire" a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.

At least three volcanoes are currently erupting elsewhere in the country, including Mount Anak Krakatau, which lies off the northern tip of Java island. The mountain was formed after the famous Krakatau volcano erupted in 1883, killing thousands, but it is not seen as at risk of a major blast. (Copyright 2007 The Associated Press).

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Mt. Kelud lava dome seen as warning sign

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Geologists from 10th November Institute of Technology (ITS) in Surabaya on Thursday say the lava dome that has formed on Mount Kelud's lake crater is not a new phenomenon, and could indicate an eruption is imminent.

They said a similar lava dome was reported before the 1919 eruption that claimed more than 5,000 lives.

They also warned the lava dome could amplify the intensity of an eruption and the damage to surrounding areas.

Geologist and head of the School for Disaster Studies at ITS, Amien Widodo, said documents from the Dutch colonial administration described the formation of a lava dome on Kelud.

"The said the lava dome, comprised of andesite lava, disintegrated and was thrown up during the eruption in the form of large rocks and pebbles, followed by a sand shower," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He added that the depth of the lake crater increased due to the magmatic pressure from the lava pocket. However, the documents did not specify the depth of the lake in detail.

The current depth of the lake crater is 38 meters, holding about 2.5 million cubic meters of water.

"The eruption in 1919 is recorded as the most fatal in the volcano's history, taking a toll of 5,160 lives," said Amien.

He said the presence of the lava dome, along with tremors and discharges of ash up to 120 meters high, must be taken as a serious warning sign.

"In theory Mount Kelud is ready to erupt. The higher the dome grows, the greater the possibility of an eruption," said Amien.

He said it was difficult to gauge the mountain's current Volcanic Explosive Index (VEI), but data from previous eruptions showed Kelud's VEI ranged from three to five.

A magnitude five VEI eruption took place in 1856. The force of that explosion was similar to explosions by the Philippines' Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and Mount St. Helens in the U.S. in 1980.

By comparison, the legendary eruption of Mount Krakatau in 1883 was a magnitude six VEI. The eruption killed more than 36,000 people.

"It's difficult to predict when Mount Kelud will erupt, but a number of theories imply that a full moon could have an influence on volcanic activity," said Amien.

Head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center's Volcano Observation Division, Agus Budianto, said there was every possibility Mount Kelud would erupt.

The lava dome is expanding daily and now covers 90 percent of the lake crater, reaching 300 meters in diameter and a height of 120 meters.

"We will constantly monitor Mount Kelud," Amien told the Post.

Sugihwaras village administrative chief in Ngancar district, Kediri regency, Susiadi, said residents were still going about their daily activities, but there had been growing concerning since Kelud was placed on top alert status on Oct. 16.

"Residents have held a traditional jaranan ritual to appease the mountain. They were told that Mount Kelud would erupt before the end of the year," said Susiadi.

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