Batam's coastal areas endure without electricity power

Fadli ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Batam   |  Wed, 09/24/2008 10:45 AM  |  The Archipelago

Half of the coastal areas in Batam city municipality are not linked to the power grid because of limited funding from the local administration, a recent survey suggests.

According to a survey conducted by the Industrial Research Affiliation Institute (LAPI) at Bandung Institute of Technology, Batam city had connected 15 of 31 settlements that should have been prioritized to receive power assistance.

Batam mayor Ahmad Dahlan told The Jakarta Post recently that, based on the LAPI research, each priority area was meant to have received a power generator according to its population and level of urgency.

Thirty-one villages in Batam city are entitled to receive a power connection, with each area needing at least Rp 500 million (US$55,550) for this purpose.

Batam city consists of more than 300 islands and is home to around 800,000 people.

"A large portion of the population living along the coast earn their living as fishermen. Over time these areas have grown and so power demands are now very high," Dahlan said.

"We are making efforts to supply electricity to the entire coastal area. However, even meeting the demands of areas that we've prioritized has been difficult."

Batam municipality earmarked Rp 542 million this year for the procurement of a 60-kilovolt generator in Tanjung Gundap village, which is home to about 50 families.

Until now, Batam's coastal villages have relied on power supplied by a private company. Each household is charged Rp 6,000 a day for electricity provided between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. only. At other times, residents must make do without, and use kerosene lamps for light.

Under the municipal Community Empowerment Agency's power assistance program, residents in Tanjung Gundap village have been provided with electricity at a cost of Rp 3,000 per household per day.

But power there is also restricted six hours a day because of the generator's capacity, which is enough to serve around 100 homes.

"Once the coastal settlements are connected we expect they will be able to gradually improve the quality of their human resources," Dahlan said.

The administration also expects local communities' economies to improve.

Batam municipality will earmark funds to procure generators for four other areas next year: Tanjung Piayu Laut, Tanjung Sauh Ngenang and Sambu and Nange islands.

Each generator will be managed by cooperatives comprising local representatives who are tasked with monitoring power supply and fee collection.

Tanjung Gundap elder Zaini, 52, said power was restricted to use for lights and TV, and that people had no problems with having only six hours of power each day.

"Most of them are already asleep by 10 p.m., so after that electricity is not needed. But I don't know whether there are other opinions," Zaini said.

Bersatu Cooperatives secretary Budi Aries, responsible for the maintenance of the Tanjung Gundap facility, said he expected power to be supplied throughout the day in his area in the future.

The Tanjung Gundap station is anticipating growth in demand for power and has initiated new business enterprises to cater for increasing telecommunications and Internet use.

"Fishermen will be able to keep their catch in freezers. We hope the municipality anticipate this as soon as possible," Budi said.

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