Wild Cat Once Thought Extinct Spotted in Borneo

Jakarta Globe, January 13, 2011

One of the world's rarest wild cats, an elusive creature once thought to be extinct, has been spotted in camera traps in Malaysian Borneo for the first time since 2003, researchers said Thursday.

(Photo source: wildcatconversation.org)

The Bornean Bay Cat, a long-tailed reddish or grey feline the size of a large domesticated cat, was sighted in the northern highlands of Malaysia's Sarawak state, the forest department said Thursday.

Three photographs showing two or three individuals were captured, bringing new hope for the future of the endangered animal about which very little is known, said research officer Wilhelmina Cluny.

"This species is very secretive... it was classified as extinct until a photograph of it was taken in 2003," she told AFP.

"I do feel encouraged, this photograph was taken in a logged forest... when we saw this it made us wonder whether this kind of habitat can sustain wildlife, even for rare and important species like the bay cat."

"We had been looking for any mammals and this bay cat came up, it's quite exciting that we got the photograph."

Cluny said there has been very little research into the bay cat, and there is no indication as to whether its numbers are rising or falling.

The images were captured in 2009 and 2010 but not released until the study was completed. The animals spotted were the grey variety, which are even more rare than the reddish type.

The camera trap was positioned next to the Pulong Tai national park in northern Sarawak, one of the two Malaysian states that make up part of Borneo. The vast island is shared with Indonesia and the small sultanate of Brunei.

The 2003 photographs were taken in the Lanjak Entimau wildlife sanctuary in southern Sarawak.

Other than these handful of images, most other information on the species consists of "historical records, morphological descriptions and anecdotes", according to the Sarawak Forest Department.

Rampant logging in timber-rich Sarawak has removed much of the state's forest cover, threatening the survival of animal and plant species as well as indigenous tribes whose way of life is increasingly in peril.

AFP

Residents to be evacuated as Mt. Anak Krakatau spews ash

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung | Tue, 01/11/2011

The South Lampung Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is set to evacuate tens of thousands of residents in seven districts in the regency following continuous volcanic ash emissions from Mount Anak Krakatau over the past several days.

South Lampung BPBD head Abdul Shomad said his office had coordinated with the Lampung provincial administration, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency and the Mount Anak Krakatau observation station in Hargopancuran village in South Lampung.

“We have taken anticipatory measures because ash continues to flow, while the seismograph used to monitor Mount Anak Krakatau could not provide data on its activities. This has caused fear among residents,” said Shomad on Monday.

The seven districts are Kalianda, Rajabasa, Katibung, Sidomulyo, Ketapang, Sragi and Palas.

Shomad added the South Lampung regency administration had mapped out tsunami-prone areas around the mountain, generally located along coastal areas facing the Sunda Strait, as one anticipatory measure.

“The coordination is aimed at ascertaining the height of the tidal wave in the event of a massive eruption,” said Shomad.

As of Monday, volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau is still covering residential areas in parts of Banten province and South Lampung, while the observation posts in Hargopancuran, Rajabasa, South Lampung, and Pasauran, Banten, have not yet been able to monitor volcanic activities because equipment installed around the volcano is still out of order.

“Observation from the naked eye shows volcanic ash and smoke, spewing from Mount Anak Krakatau at around 600 meters high, is still moving toward the east, or Banten,” said Hargopancuran observation station head Andi Suhardi.

He said volcanic ash emitted by Anak Krakatau was dangerous and carried materials such as hot rocks and pebbles, reaching temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius.

“We cannot monitor seismic activities because the seismometers are not working after their solar panels were covered with volcanic ash. We urge fishermen not to carry out activities around the volcano and advise vacationers not to approach the mountain up to 2 kilometers in radius,” he said.

The Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) in Bandung, West Java, has set Anak Krakatau’s status at alert level as of now.

Suhardi said his office had learned about the faulty monitoring devices installed on the slopes of Mt. Anak Krakatau on Dec. 27, thus failing to monitor volcanic activities from 6:30 p.m. until noon on Dec.

28, despite the fact that the volcano, located in the middle of the sea, was actively emitting volcanic materials.

Despite the faults, the volcanic activities can be monitored after every rainfall, thus indicating the monitoring devices installed around the volcano are covered by volcanic ash.

Suhardi said visual observation often meets technical problems because it relies on weather conditions as the presence of rain and fog can hamper visual observation.

Suhardi said he had reported the faulty devices to the regency administration and the PVMBG but they had not yet been fixed.

“The devices could not be fixed despite the current alert status. We recommend the devices be installed in new places,” he said.

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Extreme Weather Forces Hundreds to Flee Homes

One In Three Indonesia's 73,000 Villages Prone To Natural Disaster

Bernama, January 04, 2011

JAKARTA, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- One in three of Indonesia's 73,000 villages is prone to natural disasters, Antara news agency quoted National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Chief Syamsul Maarif as saying on Tuesday.

"We predict that 184 districts and cities in Indonesia can be hit by an earthquake," he said here on Tuesday at a meeting at the office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare in Jakarta.

While 150 cities are facing the risk of being engulfed by tsunami, 78 eight cities and districts can be impacted by a volcanic eruption, 176 districts are prone to flooding and 154 cities to landslides.

In 2011, he said the extreme weather with the potential of causing floods , flash floods and landslides was predicted to reach its peak in the January-March period.

In order to reduce casualties and material losses due to natural disasters, he said, BNPB had started to map all disaster-prone areas in Indonesia.

The map was needed to support local governments` efforts to draw up maps of the vulnerable areas. These areas must not be used for housing development or construction of public places.

He said BNPB would also call for alertness of government officials and local people.

Up till now, he said, from the total of 497 districts and cities in Indonesia, 306 had established a Regional Disaster Management Agency .

"Our target is to have each region set up its own disaster management agency by 2012," Syamsul said.

For this year, BNPB received Rp795 billion from the National Budget n (APBN) and Rp17 billion from grants to conduct its activities.

-- BERNAMA

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Report of landslides and sinking lands in Indonesia per December 2010:

• 30 December 2010: Central Java. Hill in Purbalingga Collapsed.

• 29 December 2010: Central Java. Landslides in Banyumas, Banjarnegara, and Purbalingga.

• 29 December 2010: Central Java. Cave Maria, Banyu Urip Village of Tuntang, Semarang, collapsed.
• 29 December 2010: Central Java. A Dike of 32 metre long in Bedana Village of Kalibening, Banjarnegara collapsed.
• 29 December 2010: Jakarta. Pengapuran Raya Street, Tambora, West Jakarta was broken. The broken concrete slabs were due to heavy traffic, it was thought.
• 28 December 2010: Central Java. Cliff collapsed (50 m high) onto Main Northern Road(Pantura) from B....
• 28 December 2010: Central Java. Bumiayu-Brebes Ring Road was closed due to partly collapsed bridge (sinkhole underneath).
• 27 December 2010: West Java. The concrete body joining Balubur St. and Pasteur St. on Pasopati Flyover, Bandung, shifted, leaving a 10-cm gap. Rapid sinking has been happening all over Bandung.
• 23 December 2010: East Java. The LAPINDO hot mud dike (11 metres high) burst again on 23 Decembe... (as observed by Indonesian scientists). The water of 50 cm high flooded a nearby village and a 200-m-long road. Some houses sank 2.5 metres deep.
• 22 December 2010: Central Java. Landslides in Brebes Injures Six and Destroys a house (Media Indonesia). Location: Dukuh Kosambi, Jipang Village of Bantarkuwung, Brebes, Central Java.
• 22 December 2010: Bali. Floods and landslides assault Northern Bali.
• 21 December 2010: Sulawesi.
• 20 December 2010: Central Java. Landslides and Sinking Road Assault Pekalongan (Media Indonesia). Heavy Rain caused landslides in Pekalongan hills, destroying twenties houses. Six villages were isolated after the sinking of five road spots of 12 km long.
• 18 December 2010: East Java. Sinking and Rising Land in Madura Island. A land of 100 metres wide and 200 metres long in Tlokoh Village of Kokop, Bangkalan, Madura, suddenly sank 10 metres deep. This bewildered the locals.
• 17 December 2010: Borneo (Kalimantan). A truck sank into Trans-Kalimantan roadside, in Anjir Serapat.
• 14 December 2010: West Java. Mount Pancar cracked, due for big landslides. The landslides would affect the elite real estate of Sentul City (Beverly Block and Cikeruh River). A sinkhole (3 meter wide, 5 m deep) developed 716 meter above sea level (on the mountain).
• 14 December 2010: North Sumatra. Trans-Sumatra road keeps sinking. Bukit Barisan mountain ranges, in Sumatra (with some of its peaks reaching 3000 m high, running from North to South Sumatra) has also been collapsing in four spots.
• 13 December 2010: Jakarta. Petojo VIJ Street Sank 50 km long, 6 m deep (Berita Jakarta). Cracks were then found on 15 houses. The residents have been worried if their houses would sink too. Being vigilant, they've been watching any signs of further sinking. Location: Kali Siantar, Cideng-Gambir, Central Jakarta. A researcher at LIPI (Indonesian State Science Foundation) Otto S.R. Ongkosongo warned that Jakarta was prone to the same disaster as that of Petojo, considering that the same thing happened before that to Bendungan Jago Street in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. Loss of land elevation has also threatened the progress of MRT (mass rapid transit) project in Jakarta due for completion in 2016.
• 13 December 2010: Bali. Cliff collapsed in Tampaksiring, Gianyar.
• 12 December 2010: North Sumatra. Jamin Ginting Street in Dusun 1 Sugo Village of Pancurbatu, Deliser.... Sept 2010: landslide, again, in Trans-Sumatra road (Location: Panyabungan, Kotanopan).
• 12 December 2010: Nusa Tenggara Barat. Five Hectare Land Sank 50 Meters deep (Media Indonesia). A resident's land in Dusun Corong, Pemepek Village of Pringgarata, Central Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, gradually sank to 50 metres deep. The village chief was taken aback by such a natural phenomenon as there were no rivers in the vicinity.
• 12 December 2010: Bali. Four areas in Bali are Landslide zones.
• 11 Desember 2010: Yogyakarta (Central Java). Pringgodiningratan Street, Sleman Sank 6 Metres deep(Tribunnews.com, Jogja). The street sank 8 metres long. The road was thought to start sinking on 11 Dec. at 3 am. Before sinking, the road developed a hole of only 1 square metres the day before. It was speculated that the land was getting softer after heavy rains for a few days.
• 10 Desember 2010: Yogyakarta (Cenral Java). Sinking Road Created a giant sinkhole in Sleman, Yogyakarta(Media Indonesia). A large gaping hole (diameter: 10 m, depth: 10 m) was formed in Merapi Street, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The sinkhole forced the local goverment office of Sleman to close as the access road was cut off. The initial hole was only as large as an umbrella on Dec. 10, it was said, but at 9 pm on the same day, the hole was getting much wider and deeper.
• 10 Desember 2010: Central Java. Land movement assault Cintamanik Village of Bumijawa, Tegal, destroying 22 houses and 25 hectares of paddy fields in the vicinity.
• 10 December 2010: Central Java. Sinking Road in Sidorejo Village. The road connecting to other villages sank one metres deep.
• 10 December 2010: West Java. Landslide in Karangpucung and Cimanggu, Cilacap, West Java.
• 06 Desember 2010: Central Java . Sinking land destroy 7 houses in Karangpari, Bantarkawung, Brebes(Suara Merdeka). The land sank 20-50 cm deep and threatened hundreds other houses. The residents (most are farmers) are still living in such houses with fear due to poverty.
• 08 Desember 2010: West Sulawesi. High tides scoured coastal areas in Tappalang, Mamuju.
• 06 Desember 2010: East Java .Trawas Hill collapsed, cutting off road Trawas-Ngoro, Kedung, Mojokerto, East Java.
• 04 Desember 2010: West Java. Heavy traffic jam due to sinking Pajajaran Street in Bandung. The sinkhole (again, in the area) was 8 metres deep and 6 metres in diameter.
• 01 December 2010: West Java. Road to northern Garut was cut off due to sinking road in Kampung Kadulempeng, Wangunjaya Village of Banjarwangi. The road (5 metres long, 2 metres wide) sank 2.5 metres deep.

Yudhoyono Talks Tough on Forest Destroyers

Jakarta Globe, January 10, 2011

Greenpeace activists display a large banner on August 5, 2010 with a
message "APP stop destroying tiger forest" at the PT. Tebo Multi Agro
concession affiliated with Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) located in the Bukit
Tigapulu forest land in the province of Jambi. According to Greenpeace the
area is habitat to endangered Sumatran Tiger and rich in biodiversity.(Reuters Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday ordered provincial governors to act more firmly against mining and plantation firms which continue to destroy forests in the country.

"A number of mining and plantations operations remained destructive to the environment. I urged governors to carry out firmer actions against them," he told a national forum attended by high-ranking officials in the capital.

Indonesia is considered the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, due mainly to rampant deforestation by palm oil, paper and mining industries, which is fuelled by corruption.

Yudhoyono said he would personally oversee his instructions were implemented.

His administration has been under pressure from environmentalists to implement a two-year moratorium on the clearing of natural forest and peatland, which was due to begin January 1 this year.

Norway agreed in May to contribute up to a billion dollars to help Indonesia fight deforestation.

"Massive efforts are being made by the industries and its representatives in the government through the forestry ministry to undermine, dilute and stall the action plan," Greenpeace forest campaigner Joko Arif told reporters on Friday.

"The president must thwart these attempts and make sure that his government is able to follow best practices as recommended by civil society and as required under the Norway agreement," he added.

AFP

Eco-friendly development RI`s focus in 2011, President

Antara News, Monday, January 10, 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that implementing an eco-friendly development is going to be one of his government`s focus in 2011.

"Apart from implementing a development which can support better economic growth, more employment rate and decrease our poverty rate, I also urged all government officials to make sure that our development is based on an eco-friendly system," the president said here on Monday at the National Meeting 2011 with all ministers and governors.

The president said national development must be conducted without damaging the environment. He urged all governors to act firmly against mining or plantation companies which operation was said to have damaged the environment.

The National Meeting featuring ministers and all governors of Indonesia has been conducted four times since President Yudhoyono took presidency for the second time in 2009.

This year`s theme of the meeting is Accelerating a fair national economic growth which is supported with good governance and good synergy between the central and regional government.

Based on the theme, the government has set several targets which must be achieved in 2011 namely better bureaucratic reforms, improvement of education and health care services and eradicating poverty.

Anak Krakatau`s ashes keep falling in Banten

Antara News, Sunday, January 9, 2011

Cinangka, Banten (ANTARA News) - Mount Anak Krakatau kept spewing volcanic ashes over residential areas in Banten and caused difficulties for monitoring officials to monitor the seismic activity.

"The haze is still heading east to Banten, the 6000 meters high grey haze also consisted of volcanic ashes," the local Mount`s monitoring post chief, Anton S Pambudi, said here Sunday.

Anton confirmed that the ashes from mount Anak Krakatau was dangerous as it is carrying angerous hot materials and debris.

"The debris can heat up to 600 degree Celsius and very dangerous for body contact," Anton said

Despite the fact that the seismic activity could not be monitored, The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) in Bandung, West Java, had yet to lower the status from level II (alert) to level I (actively normal).

"The mountain`s seismic activity has yet to be monitored by a solar panel on the seismo-meter which malfunctioned after being covered by a thick layer of volcanic ashes from the mountain in the Sunda strait," Anton said.

PVMBG was still discouraging people, including tourists to get close to the mountain within a radius of two kilometers.

"We have not lowered the Anak Krakatau`s status and people are still discouraged to get near to the danger zone," he said.

Due to the mountain`s seismic activity, several Banten residents from Cilegon, Serang and Pandeglang areas expressed their fear of the volcanic ashes that had been falling in their residential areas.

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Govt prepares 2 million ha of land for food security

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 01/09/2011

The government has prepared two million hectares of land to bolster the nation’s food security progam in the face of extreme weather and skyrocketing food prices.

Agriculture Minister Suswono said on Saturday that the land would located be outside Java Island, in Marauke, Papua.

“Out of two million hectares, one million hectares will be for paddy fields, while the rest will be for sugarcane and soy beans,” Suswono said.

The program would also used land from the Forestry Ministry as well as abandoned land designated by the National Land Agency (BPS).

The government would also provide 1,000 drying machines to farmers under the program.

Researchers Turn Common Indonesian Plant Into Alternative Fuel

Jakarta Globe, Ismira Lutfia | January 07, 2011

In an effort to wean rural communities off inefficient and costly kerosene, Indonesian researchers have developed an alternative fuel from a common plant.

Researchers say the fruit of the bintaro can be used to
make an oil that may be able to replace kerosene.

The new fuel is derived from the seed of the sea mango tree (Cerbera manghas), known locally as bintaro.

Aris Purwanto, head of the research team at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said the idea came after rising kerosene prices in the Teluk Meranti area of the Riau Islands forced villagers to switch to burning wood for cooking.

“The bintaro tree grows all year round and a tree of at least three years of age can produce an average of 300 to 400 fruit a year,” Aris said during a presentation on Wednesday.

To extract the bintaro oil, researchers removed the seeds from the ripened fruit, then dried and crushed them. Aris said 2.9 kilograms of seed yielded one liter of oil.

In an interesting aside, he said the seed kernels contain the toxic substance cerberin, which is often used by local farmers to poison wild animal pests that damage their crops.

“Even in its raw phase, the oil can be used to fuel an electricity generator,” Aris said.

But the researchers experimented further, refining the oil by mixing it with water and storing it until an oil-water dispersion was achieved.

This refined oil, they said, can be used to fuel a fire, such as in a kerosene stove.

However, Aris said that because it had a much higher viscosity than kerosene or diesel, and hence different combustion properties, stoves and generators would have to be modified slightly to ensure the oil worked.

The viscosity difference means that the bintaro oil is too thick to vaporize into a flammable spray, as required in the combustion chamber of a kerosene stove or diesel-powered generator.

To use it to power a generator, for instance, a converter must first be used to heat the oil to 70 degrees Celsius to lower its viscosity to the level of diesel.

Even then, the generator needs to have been running for four to five minutes on diesel before the bintaro oil can be added to the external tank and the diesel supply shut off.

Aris acknowledged bintaro oil could not yet be classified as a biofuel, and was not yet a viable replacement for conventional fossil fuels.

He said that with only four months of development behind it, more research and processing was needed before bintaro oil could viably generate sufficient power to fuel heavier machinery such as motor vehicles.

In the meantime, he said, it is sufficient for basic cooking needs such as boiling water or cooking rice, allowing it to take over some of the role of kerosene.

“We aim to develop this as an alternative energy source for people in remote areas, so that they’re not overly dependent on kerosene,” he said .

He added that bintaro trees were common in many rural areas and relatively easy to grow, making it easy for villagers to collect the necessary seeds.

The tree is also frequently used in greening projects in residential areas across the country .

Marzuki Effendi, one of the Teluk Meranti villagers who attended Wednesday’s presentation, said that bintaro-fueled stoves produced an intense blue flame that brought water to the boil in just four minutes.

With kerosene, he said, boiling water took eight minutes.

Marzuki said another downside to kerosene was its high cost.

The fuel typically costs Rp 6,000 to Rp 8,000 (66 to 88 cents) per liter in the area, he said.

Kerosene distributed to the public is supposed to be subsidized by the government, although distributors almost invariably charge a commission on sales.

In addition to being expensive, it is increasingly difficult to source, a result of the government’s plan to replace it with liquefied petroleum gas.

However, the kerosene-to-gas campaign has concentrated largely on urban areas, with many rural communities yet to receive the free liquefied petroleum gas stoves and canisters that are part of the program.

Indonesians urged to grow chillies to combat price rise

BBC News, 6 January 2011

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People in Indonesia have been urged to grow their own chillies, in an attempt to deal with a five-fold increase in prices over the last year.

Some 100,000 households will be given free chilli
seeds to enable them to grow their own plants

President Susilo Yudhoyono Bambang said people should be "creative" in planting chillies - an essential ingredient in Indonesian cuisine.

Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said she already had 200 chilli plants growing at home.

The increase is due to pests and bad weather affecting growth and transport.

The trade minister told a briefing on Thursday that the agriculture ministry was educating farmers in how to take care of chilli plants, as well as "encouraging consumers to plant chilli in their own yards".

"I have 200 chilli plants in flowerpots," she said.

The price of chillies began to rise sharply late last year as the shortage became clear, with a kilo of some varieties now costing up to 100,000 rupiah (£7).

One street vendor in East Java said he had been forced to reduce the amount of chilli he added to his dishes.

"Sometimes we use red chilli, sometimes we don't because the price is too expensive, we can't afford it. So we use green chilli instead," he said.

"Chilli is too expensive now, red chilli is 80,000 rupiah per kilo, the most expensive one is Cayenne pepper, the small hot chilli. It costs 100,000 rupiah per kilo."

'Going all out'

Agriculture Minister Suswono said a national campaign would be launched to encourage home growing, with free seeds distributed to 100,000 households.

"The chilli is a plant that grows easily in the yard, but now, even in the villages, they want everything instantly, so they buy instead of growing it," the Jakarta Globe quoted him as saying.

Finance ministry officials told the newspaper they they were "going all out" to stabilise the market and improve the chilli-growing industries abilities to cope with bad weather.

But one official - Rusman Heriawan, head of a government statistics agency - said changing meals to use less spice was not an option.

"You can't eat without fresh ground chillies," he said. "We need to improve the supply."

The UN says global food prices rose by an average of more than 80% in the past 10 years, and hit a record high in December last year.

The rises have already led to violent protests and riots in some countries, and there are fears further increases could spread the unrest.

Who ape all the pies? Orangutan kicks back with a full belly in the midday sun

Daily Mail, By DAILY MAIL REPORTER, 4th January 2011

It looks like this orangutan got more than her fair share of the Christmas hamper.

Louise Bleakly, 69, snapped the portly primate as she lazed by a tree after over-indulging.

The sedentary creature soaked up the midday sun at Taman Safari Park near Jakarta, Indonesia - and was too lazy to even swing on the trees and ropes.

This orangutan soaked up the midday sun at Taman
Safari Park near Jakarta, Indonesia looking a little full
around the middle

Louise, a retired social worker, said: 'These orangutans were all in a special enclosure which was a wide-open, lush, green area.

'There were about 20 orangutans and they were going about their daily lives, which looked much like ours on occasion.

'It was around noon time at the park and it was rather hot.

The sedentary creature was too lazy to even swing on
the trees and ropes

"There was an area where the orangutans could swing in the trees but I only saw one using the rope.

'The orangutans in question seem to lead a sedentary way of life.

'The really plump ones look like females.

'There were male orangutans in the enclosure and they were all of normal weight and more animated.' Louise, from California, United States, added: 'Later in my trip, I observed orangutans in the wild in Borneo in a conservation area.

'It seemed to me that the orangutans in captivity used more human-like gestures.

In addition to the overfed orangutan, this guy looked
like he had a bit of a headache

RI hit by 644 disasters in 2010 : BNPB

Antara News, Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia was hit by 644 natural disasters in 2010, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Chief Syamsul Maarif said.

"Indonesia has been hit by 644 disasters during 2010 while 81.5 percent of them was hydro-meteorological type of disasters such as floods, landslides and flash floods," he said here on Tuesday at a meeting with several cabinet ministers at the Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare office in Jakarta.

He said though floods and landslides dominated disasters in Indonesia, it was earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that had caused the most casualties and material losses to the country. There were 1,711 people who died with over a million people injured due to natural disasters in 2010.

Syamsul said BNPB in 2011 had allocated Rp228 billion for disaster mitigation activities such as the mapping of disaster-prone areas in Indonesia, training for government officials and local people to raise their awareness about natural disasters and certification of around 10,000 volunteers.

Earlier, presidential aide for disaster and social affairs Andi Arief said from a study and observation seven provinces and 13 districts/municipalities in Sumatra and Java had been identified as deserving priority in implementing the government`s earthquake and tsunami mitigation programs.

However, Andi did not name the provinces and districts which were prioritized for the earthquake and tsunami mitigation program.

"The priority for the seven provinces and the 13 districts/municipalities is because they are prone to earthquake and tsunami that can claim considerable amount of lives and material damage," he said.

But he added that almost all of 33 provinces across the country were potential to have ecological disaster such as landslide, flash flood, and whirlwind.

According to Andi disaster mitigation program was necessary to be carried out as a starting point for disaster management to reduce the number of fatalities and material damage.

"Thus pre-disaster mitigation is necessary for the people and all parties so that they know what to do when a real disaster does occur," Andi said.

Oil palm, mining wastes biggest polluters in 2010

Antara News, Monday, January 3, 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Wastes from oil palm plantations and mining operations were the greatest polluters of the environmet in 2010, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said.

"Oil palm plantations ranked first as a producer of pollutants, followed by mining," said Mukri Friatna, head of Walhi`s advocacy department, in Jakarta, on Monday.

Walhi noted that there were 31 pollution cases involving oil palm plantations and 19 cases involving coal mining and seven cases involving gold mining.

The reported pollution cases, according to Friatna, did not include pollution of the Citarum and other urban rivers such as those in Jakarta.

In 2010, there were 75 cases of river pollution including 65 rivers and five marine regions polluted by liquid wastes from private and state-owned companies.

Pollution of those rivers and marine regions had impacted on the high contents of biological oxygen demand (BOD.), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and acidity (PH) surpassing the specified quality standards so that the water is not consumable or able to used.

In addition, the pollution is extremely hazardous on the preservation of the environment as well as becoming a serious threat on human health and safety. The high level of pollution that surpassing quality standards can kill fish, marine biota and other micro organism due to the absence of oxygen.

Out of the whole pollution cases, according to Friatna, only 14 cases that had been brought to courts, despite the law on the environment protection and management, Law Number 32 Year 2009, outlines a very clear regulation on such matters.

The law stipulates that legal actions can be taken against polluters both due to negligence and especially on purpose. The law also stipulates the government as the party is punishable if it does not take the specified action.

Walhi recommends that government regulation number 27 year 2007 on the analysis of environmental impacts (Amdal) be revised to make it stronger. In addition, the strategic studies on the environment must soon be issued.