Can Waste Management be an Integral Part of Disaster Risk Management Efforts in Indonesia?3/14/2017 Rapid urbanization, unplanned development, lack of proper waste disposal measures, damaged ecosystems and thus leading to the environmental degradation and the consequent impact of these interrelated process exacerbates the existing risks and developed the new risks of disasters. According to the data from Ministry of Environment and Forest, Republic of Indonesia in 2015, an average person produces 0.7 kilogram of waste per day; and 175,000 tons of waste are being generated by 250 million of population producing across the country on a daily basic, amounting to 64 million tons of waste annually. Indonesia is also the second largest plastic polluter in the world according to the report of Science article 2015. In the capital city of Jakarta with the high density of population around 10 million, provisions of basic services facilities and garbage cans are mostly found in tourist / business district and are inadequate in other parts of the city where majority of people live, making Jakarta one of the most polluted capitals in the world. Due to still lack of waste disposal options in country, citizens still heavily rely on landfills for the generated waste. The 2005 waste avalanche at Leuwigajah dumpsite was also one of the serious disasters in Indonesia destroying households and killing over 100 people in flattened villages. The open dumping sites with the pile of rubbish will still have the risk of garbage avalanches unless they are not the sanitary landfill systems with the stable structured foundation. On the other hand, despite the effort of Ministry of Public Work on regularly cleaning up the rivers from the pile of trash, the effort became futile when there is lack of public awareness on their role and responsibility how to manage the garbage properly. Complications of garbage is one of the reasons for flooding problems in the cities of Indonesia, clogging the flood canals and flood reservoirs. All these daily garbage issues come together to create very intense flooding. (Eg. 2007 Jakarta flooding in Indonesia). It is important to encourage the effective and efficient solid waste management system through promoting public awareness on the uncontrolled garbage problems, as part of the integrated solution to the floods. The women at household level plays an important role in proper domestic waste management through the 3Rs method (Reuse, Reduce and Recycle) at the household level. Since 2005, there have been initiatives for independent waste management in central Jakarta where the housewives started managing the wastes by sorting out organic and inorganic waste at the household level. Citizens in that area started adopting that habit of proper waste management in order to reduce the impacts of floods, particularly in the rainy season. These good initiatives for waste management need to be encouraged and carried forward to improve recycling rate in Indonesia. Although the large amount of waste is not completely resolvable with 3Rs method, proper management starting at the household level can decrease the amount of solid waste at the source. With the full participation of waste generators, Indonesia should be active in taking approach of 3R and it needs to foster the the implementation of government programs on providing waste banks across the country through promoting the concept of 3Rs methods. Moreover, government needs to develop more innovative solutions with the alternative waste processing technologies (eg, Large scale incinerators) for effective and efficient of waste management to clean up the Indonesia’s worsening environmental record at global stage. Without improvements in general waste management, increased waste generation could generate the new disaster risks and lead to the greater obstacles in response and recovery stages at the times of disaster. Asides from the provision of better waste management facilities and services, therefore, communities should be prepared to reduce the impacts of disasters through behavior change by education and public awareness campaigns on proper waste management (solid waste management, drainage improvement). Programs such as Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) which are being widely implemented in Indonesia to build community resilience can be an effective mechanism as well as complementary program where waste management can be integrated as community members are at the forefront of managing disaster risk. The waste management problems to reduce the risks of particularly flood and landfills disasters problem could only be solved if the government and the community together make significant efforts. Reference
0 Comments
The year 2017 has kicked off a new era for women with the international movements of the Women’s marches taking place across the world from the United States, to Indonesia with men, and women sending messages that women’s rights are human rights. The world is celebrating the 2017 International Women’s Day with the theme of Be Bold for Change and it feels more inspiring than ever to see the struggles for women's rights and the political, social, economic and cultural achievements of women throughout history. In Indonesia, both national and local regulations provide sufficient legal tools to enable women’s participation in politics and decision-making. National regulations include the CEDAW Convention, laws on human rights, the Law on the Governing of Aceh with its gender-specific articles, and the Presidential Instruction on Gender Mainstreaming in National Development. In addition to all this, Banda Aceh [as a special province of Indonesia] has local regulations that include Qanun no. 5 in 2007 on the Establishment of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Body, Qanun no. 6 in 2009 on Women’s Empowerment and Protection and, as well as the 2008 women’s committees of the revival of Aceh (KPAB) which help to build the confidence of Acehnese women and strengthen the women’s role in the society through the Charter on Women’s Rights in Aceh province which was adopted in November 2008. However it has been tough for women to obtain leadership roles in politics and public services in Aceh; the local community has been shaped by the combination of culturally conservative views on gender, social norms, and religious ideologies and perceptions. Among the wide range of views on women’s leadership in Aceh urban and rural areas, women’s leadership and participation as decision makers is agreed upon to a limited and contradictory extent. Coexisting simultaneously with a general appreciation for gender equality and equal opportunity, there is still a strong preference for male leadership. Based upon interviews I have completed in Banda Aceh, several women mentioned that women can actively participate in the public sphere but they should not be in leading positions as decision-makers, or at least they are less favorable for these positions. Generally, the women in urban area has a relatively high confidence of leadership, while the majority of women in the sub-district areas remain less confident about holding a leadership position. It is all the more important to address the lack of women in political positions and to hear the women’s voices in order to ensure that their rights are respected in Aceh, which has formally implemented Shari’a Islamic law since 2001 after receiving special authorization from Indonesia’s central government. According to the activist Ms. Suraiya Kamaruzzaman, founder of Aceh’s first women’s organization (Flower’s Ache), there have been strong histories of women leaders in Aceh, particularly as peacekeepers. Women have been part of the Acehnese movement fighting for peace, equality and justice since the time of conflict time of Free Aceh Movement from the 1990s – 2004. The women living in Aceh today should be supported by the community in following the bravery and spirit of women in the past. Socio-cultural factors are the strongest influence over women in Aceh in determining their position in society. Women have been primary targets for inspections carried out by the shari’a police. and It appears that the shari’a police forces play a role in the continued suppression of women in Aceh. As a consequence of shari’a law , women are discouraged from pursuing political activities, resulting in very few women elected to parliament. According to the particular incident of Nurdin Abdul Rahman head of Bireuen district, who was highly opposed for appointing women as a sub district head, the misguided senior officials use their political power and religion interpretation to discourage the women leadership in political sphere. Since it is uncommon to see women leaders in high political positions making progress to improve livelihoods and infrastructure in Aceh, senior male officials usually refuse to accept women leaders by claiming that it is against Islam for women to hold a leadership post. It has not been easy to convince men or other women that women should be in leadership roles. Despite these gender inequalities and power imbalances, a high level of education is permitted in Aceh. Young Acehnese women can easily access higher education, and many of them have the opportunity to become doctors, pharmacists, and architects - professions that were traditionally the domain of men. Most of the women and young Acehnese girls I interviewed in Banda Ache consider education to be the best solution to their economic problems and for improving their social status in the community. Some have also benefitted from receiving gender-related trainings provided by international aid organizations, further enforcing the belief that education is the only answer for the future of Aceh. Indeed, there is no lack of potential women leaders in Aceh and there is no significant resistance of women to get involved in leading positions if they are proven to have required capacities. Generally, the possibility of women to be involved in decision making and leading roles for the better development of Aceh is highly shaped by the cultural system and social norms which are hard to break once firmly rooted in the heart of society. Efforts to make progress in women’s participation and leadership should not be seen as criticism or offense against the religion. The role of influential actors or institutions like religious leaders and schools is important to bring up and address issues in social, political and economic aspects. ( Eg. Religious preaching and Traditional Islamic schools “dayah” ) . Looking at the present and past histories of champions in Aceh, there is no doubt that women can make a valuable contribution to Aceh’s future. Women in the past have played positive roles as advocates and architects of peace in Aceh. At present, there are many women champions such as Ms Suraiya Kamaruzzaman (women right activist), newly elected female parliamentarian Ms Darwati Gani who demonstrate leadership that unite and inspire others with their hard work on ensuring Acehnese women’s rights and safety. Furthermore, it is significant to see the emergence of many young girls who have tremendous potential of exhibiting visionary thinking and great enthusiasm to create the better community driving the positive transformation by extensive engagement in the leading positions of political and social spheres within Acehnese society. Now it is the critical time for the regional government and religious figures in Aceh to listen to the voice of Aceh’s women and to allow them to be part of discussion in formulating policies and practices that would serve women’s needs equally to those of men. It could be the only way for Aceh to move forward as the tolerant and inclusive Islamic community, with equal dignity and respect for both men and women. Reference
|
|