TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - According to the data released by Ministry of Public Works, in August 2014, 34,4 million Indonesians live in slum areas. Minister of Public Works Djoko Kirmanto called on the Ministry of Public Housing, National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the Ministry of Environment to work together with his ministry to tackle the issue.
"The government cannot solve this issue on its own - other stakeholders, such as local communities, the private sector, as well as academics and non-governmental organisations need to be involved," said Djoko in a statement received by Tempo on Friday, October 3, 2014.
In Indonesia, 3,201 slums have been identified, with a total area of 34,374 hectares. According to Djoko, his ministry has prepared a master plan to revitalise those area, which will be in effect until 2019. Djoko also said that the government is optimistic that slums could be completely revamped and transformed by 2019.
That said, the plan to revitalise Indonesia's slum areas is faced by hurdles such as the demographic bonus, climate change, and decentralisation. Djoko said that an increasing population is adding pressure on the government to prepare more residential infrastructure. "The land that the government needs to clear out to make way for residential areas increases as the population increases," said Djoko.
ALI HIDAYAT