Jembatan Besi, Jakarta, Indonesia - CASE STUDY

Background Information

• Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia

• Population - 256 million people - 5th largest country in the world

• 10 million people live in the capital

• The wealthiest 10% control nearly 30% of household income

• The poorest 10% have access to 3.4%

• No official figures exist for Jakarta - likely that the distribution of income is very similar to the country as a whole

• ¼ of Jakarta’s inhabitant live in slum settlements - many others live in districts which ACs would call slums

• Jembatan Besi - slum in Jakarta about 4km northwest of the city centre

• Developed organically over past 40 years as Jakarta’s population has grown

• The settlement is hemmed in on all sides by other built-up areas in the Ciliwung River

• Population of about 4000 - one of Jekartas’ most densely populated districts

• Inhabitants include people whose families have lived there for several generations - also migrant workers who may only stay a few months

Social + Economic Conditions

• People live in slums like Jembatan Besi because the demand for affordable housing greatly exceeds the supply

• Neither the government nor the private sector had the resources to cope with the increasing numbers of people wanting to live in Jakarta

• The people themselves do not have the resources to afford more expensive formal housing

• Average income in Jembatan Besi - US$4/day - not regular income for many

• Employment often insecure - most residents able to provide only unskilled + casual labour

• Much self-employment with many families running their own small business - selling food or second-hand goods - some are salvaged from waste tips

• Such activities require very little start-up capital + many are run from home

• Jobs in more formal employment come with little security

• Jakarta has a significant garment industry + there are many small-scale producers operating in + around the slum areas

• There is little protection for those employed in these small factories + few health + safety precautions

• Sanitation hardly exists in Jenbatan Besi - few homes have a toilet + although there are toilets in the slum they are poorly built + run for profit by local businesses

• Toilets flush out into open sewers in the street

• No clean running water - groundwater supplies available but are polluted because Jenbatan Besi is built on a former waste tip

• If a family is able to afford a water pump to raise groundwater it is likely to be polluted

• Epidemics of water-borne diseases such as cholera + typhoid are common

• Tropical hot + humid climate means that malaria is an issue - as is hepatitis A

• The very young and elderly are at risk from dehydration due to diarrhoea caused by poor hygiene

• Air pollution is at very high levels - the use of kerosene for cooking as well as high levels of emissions drifting over the city pose significant health risks for residents

• The nutrition of most slum dwellers is dominated by rice with little fresh protein or fruit + vegetables

• There are schools but most are poorly equipped

• Too often families simply cannot allow their children to complete their formal education because they need to earn money to supplement family incomes

• The garment industry is a major source of employment for many young females

Housing Conditions

• Jembatan Besi is one of the most densely populated places in Indonesia

• Most homes consist of a relatively well built ground floor using timber + brick - represents the original house

• As pressures on space have grown extra stories have been added - the construction is increasingly makeshift with height

• Residents make use of any materials they can find - scrap wood + metal being common

• Fire is a constant risk due to overcrowding - use of kerosene + improved nature of electrical wiring - most of which suffers from serious over-loading

• Narrow alleys + tall buildings mean houses have virtually no direct sunlight - electric lighting is by neon tubes + bare light bulbs.

The Future?

• Urban authorities are trying to make inroads in the worst areas - planning is difficult + non-existent in most slums

• The Jakarta Housing + Administrative Buildings Agency has identified 392 ‘community units’ that are slum areas planned for improvement

• Slum clearance to allow rebuilding has tended to result in people relocating to other slum areas + making the situation worse there

• The Ciliwung River slums are notorious in Jakarta for the very poor living conditions + overcrowding

• Often a strong sense of community within the slums

• Inhabitants are remarkable resilient - they just about make ends meet + look to build a better future for themselves + their children

• The inequalities between the residents of Jembatan Besi + others in Jekarta are stark