Indonesia
AQI: Dhaka’s air 2nd most polluted in the world this morning
Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone on Wednesday (May 31, 2023) morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 166 at 8:41 am on Wednesday, Dhaka ranked second in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy'.
Indonesia’s Jakarta and Chile’s Santiago occupied the first and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 173 and 157, respectively.
Also read: Dhaka’s air quality ‘unhealthy’ Friday morning
An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Read more: UN talks on a treaty to end global plastic pollution open in Paris
Indonesia to Host Argentina In a Friendly Football Match on June 2023
Recently, Indonesian football has been in the headlines for various negative reasons. Now it seems they got an opportunity to get out of those negative vibes. World champions Argentina will visit Indonesia to play friendly matches. Argentina will tour Asia in June and will play two friendly matches on this tour. It was already known that the world champions will face Australia in China next month. According to Reuters, Lionel Scaloni’s team will also travel to Indonesia.
Argentina vs Indonesia Friendly Match Schedule
Argentina will play a friendly match with Australia on June 15 in Beijing, China. After that, Lionel Messi’s team will catch the plane to Indonesia. The date of the friendly match between Argentina and Indonesia has not been finalized yet. However, the Argentina Football Association announced June 19 as a possible date.
Can This Friendly Match Help to Improve Indonesia’s Soccer Setbacks?
Currently, Argentina is hosting the FIFA U20 World Cup, which was supposed to take place in Indonesia. Argentina was chosen as the new host after mass protests in Indonesia. This World Cup will end on June 11, which started on May 20.
Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Fixtures, Schedules, Teams, Head-to-Head Records
The main issue in Indonesia was about hosting Israel. Israel is one of the participants in the U20 World Cup. During the draw of the tournament, it was seen that several Indonesian states were not willing to host Israel’s matches. As soon as this problem came to the front, the international organization of football, FIFA, canceled Indonesia from the status of the World Cup host.
Apart from this issue, there were 135 deaths from unintentional causes of domestic football in Indonesia. This loss of life occurred in the riots and stampede after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya Club in Liga One. The mishap occurred in October 2022, in the Malang region of the country’s East Java. Eight months after the accident that shook the football world, Argentina is going to play a friendly match in the country. So, this match is expected to improve Indonesia’s condition regarding football.
Football is a very popular sport in Indonesia. But the country has not been able to make an impression on the global football arena. They participated in the 1938 World Cup while under Dutch rule, and that was their last foot on the world stage. More recently, however, Indonesian football fans have had a great occasion to celebrate. Last week, they won gold at the Southeast Asian Games for the first time since 1991.
Read more: Asia Cup Cricket 2023: Analysis of Group A
The arrival of Argentina is generating immense excitement throughout the country, and it is a source of great joy. Erick Thohir, the chief of the Indonesian Football Association, views this visit as a chance to bring about a positive change.
Argentina and Indonesia last met at the World Youth Championship. In 1979, the legendary Diego Maradona played for Argentina in Japan. Indonesia lost that match 5-0.
Final Words
It is not sure yet if Messi will participate in the friendly match between Argentina in Indonesia in June 2023. But it is believed that Argentina will visit with its full strength. Indonesia is ranked 149 in the FIFA rankings. Time will tell if Argentina will tour Asia with the World Cup-winning team. However, Asian Argentine fans have been waiting for the arrival of the world champions.
Read more: Asia Cup Cricket 2023: Analysis of Group B.
Indonesian IT minister arrested for alleged corruption in procurement
Indonesian authorities on Wednesday arrested the information technology minister as part of an investigation into a million-dollar corruption scandal linked to the construction of mobile phone transmission towers in remote regions.
Communication and Information Technology Minister Johnny G. Plate was arrested after showing up for questioning at the Attorney General’s Office, said Kuntadi, the director of investigation at the prosecutor's office.
If he is formally charged, it may further tarnish President Joko Widodo’s credibility when it comes to fighting corruption. Four other members of Widodo’s Cabinet have been sentenced to prison terms in corruption cases, casting a shadow over his efforts to clean up government while he looks for a successor when his term ends in 2024.
Footage showed Plate leaving the prosecutor's office in handcuffs and wearing a detainee red vest. He did not respond to journalists' questions.
This was the third time Plate was summoned since mid-February by investigators digging deep into his supervisory role in allocation of state funds for the construction of base transceiver stations, said Kuntadi, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians.
The project was initiated at the end of 2020 to handle more than 7,900 blank spots in mobile coverage in Indonesia’s outermost, underdeveloped and remote areas of Papua, Sulawesi, Borneo, Sumatra and East Nusatenggara. It's due to be completed this year, and so far, 4,200 locations have received the equipment, the ministry’s data showed.
The corruption case is believed to have cost the state 8 trillion rupiah ($539 million), said Muhammad Yusuf Ateh, head of the development finance control at the prosecutor's office. He said the losses included fictitious payments for the base stations that have not been built.
Plate was apprehended along with five other suspects, including three from the private sector, after some 60 people were questioned about the procurement process.
His arrest also sparked speculation over the fate of his Nasdem party, which is part of the government coalition with seven others. Nasdem had earlier endorsed a popular opposition politician, Anies Baswedan, as a presidential candidate in 2024. Widodo has referred to the party as an “outsider” in the coalition.
20 Indonesian trafficking victims freed in Myanmar
Indonesian officials said Sunday they freed 20 of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar as part of a cyber scam, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that its embassy in Yangon with help from local networks had managed to release the victims from Myawaddy township and brought them to the Thai border on Saturday.
The Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok will work closely with Thai authorities to repatriate the victims to Indonesia, the statement said. Myawaddy is in eastern Kayin state along the Thai border and is the site of an armed conflict between Myanmar’s military and ethnic Karen rebels.
Fake recruiters had offered the Indonesians high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy, about 567 kilometers (352 miles) south of Naypyidaw, the capital, to perform cyber scams for crypto websites or apps, said Judha Nugraha, an official in Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The situation drew a national outcry in Indonesia after a video made by one of the victims went viral on social media last month. It showed dozens of grim-faced Indonesian workers in a dormitory room, asking their government to help them out of “the war zone” where they see violence almost every day.
“Please help us back to Indonesia, because our life here is very miserable and threatened,” one person said, describing how they had been transferred from one company to other companies over the past eight months before being stranded in Myawaddy. The victim said they were tortured when they failed to reach certain work targets, receiving beatings, electrocutions and other physical punishments.
Authorities said the victims were likely trafficked to Myanmar by illegal means since no records were found of their arrival in Myanmar’s immigration system.
The case had prompted Indonesian President Joko Widodo to order the Foreign Affairs Ministry to make an “all out” effort to help rescue the victims, telling a news conference on Thursday: “They have been deceived and taken to an unwanted place by the traffickers."
It was unclear how their release was secured, but National Police spokesperson Sandi Nugroho said negotiations were held with the company that employed them.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a news conference on Friday that the government is also working to help Indonesian victims of online scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.
She said the Indonesian Embassy in Manila said Friday that Philippine authorities have rescued more than 1,000 trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be repatriated to their countries of origin.
“As the chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia is trying to raise this issue at the 42nd ASEAN Summit,” Marsudi said.
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippine, Singapore and Thailand. Indonesia will host the bloc’s leaders’ meeting on May 10-11 in Labuan Bajo on Flores island.
Bangladesh gets support from KSA, Indonesia to evacuate Bangladeshis from Sudan
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Sunday urged the Bangladesh nationals to get registered as the evacuation will begin within a couple of days with the support from Indonesia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
“We think there are 1500 Bangladesh nationals in Sudan, and so far, 700 of them have registered,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the remaining Bangladesh citizens to get registered soon through available means.
At first the Bangladeshi nationals will be taken to Port Sudan from Khartoum by buses on May 2, and from there they will be taken to Jeddah by ships.
He mentioned that it is a twelve-hour voyage from Port Sudan to Jeddah Port to cross the Red Sea and later within next 48 hours they will be brought back to Bangladesh, mainly through Jeddah.
“Instructions have been made to onboard those Bangladeshis immediately who have passports. The individuals who do not have passports will be given travel documents and they will get the next available ships as there will be several Saudi ships,” said the State Minister, thanking the Indonesia and Saudi authorities for their support.
Read more: Expecting evacuation of Bangladeshis in Sudan by this month or early next month: Chief of Mission
The state minister briefed the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the current situation in Sudan and evacuation of the Bangladesh citizens.
Around 35 Bangladesh nationals safely left Sudan so far, he said.
Before the meeting, he had an inter-ministerial meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the relevant senior officials.
“We hope we will be able to bring them back quickly who are already registered,” Shahriar said, adding that a representative from the Biman Bangladesh Airlines was present at the meeting.
He said the national flag carrier has made preparations to bring the Bangladeshis from Jeddah and other cities, if necessary, through regular flights.
Read more: Bangladeshis stranded in Sudan to be brought back via Jeddah: Foreign Ministry
“They have preparations for operating special flights, too if required,” said the State Minister.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Khartoum has already arranged nine buses to take the Bangladeshi nationals to Port Sudan from Khartoum and adjacent cities and a team from Bangladesh’s Consulate General in Jeddah will reach there to assist them.
All the Bangladeshis, stranded in Sudan, will be taken to Port Sudan by May 2.
Earlier, on April 25, State Minister Shahriar Alam said a decision had been made to evacuate Bangladeshi nationals from Sudan through other countries.
“The Bangladesh Embassy in Khartoum has already started spreading this message among the Bangladeshis living there,” he wrote on Facebook.
The state minister urged the Bangladeshi nationals in Sudan to follow the instructions provided by the embassy and complete registration.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the situation in Sudan a “catastrophic conflagration” that could engulf the whole region.
Muslims around the world consider climate during Ramadan
In the heart of Jakarta, the grand Istiqlal Mosque was built with a vision for it to stand for a thousand years.
The mosque was conceived by Soekarno, Indonesia’s founding father, and was designed as an impressive symbol for the country's independence. Its seven gates — representing the seven heavens in Islam — welcome visitors from across the archipelago and the world into the mosque's lofty interior.
But they don't just see the light here. It fuels them.
A major renovation in 2019 installed upwards of 500 solar panels on the mosque's expansive roof, now a major and clean source of Istiqlal's electricity. And this Ramadan, the mosque has encouraged an energy waqf — a type of donation in Islam that continues to bear fruit over time — to grow its capacity to make renewable power.
Her Pramtama, deputy head of the Ri’ayah — or building management — division of Istiqlal Mosque, hopes that Islam's holiest month, when the faithful flock to mosques in greater numbers, can provide momentum to Istiqlal's solar project through donations.
The mosque's climate push is just one example of different “Green Ramadan” initiatives in Indonesia and around the world that promote an array of changes during the Muslim holy month, which has fasting and, in many cases, feasting elements as people gather to break their fasts.
In a month where restraint and charity are emphasized, recommendations can include using less water while performing the ritual washing before prayers, replacing plastic bottles and cutlery during community iftars with reusable ones and reducing food waste. Other suggestions include carpooling to mosques, using local produce, emphasizing recycling and using donations to fund clean energy projects.
For the world to limit the effects of climate change — which is already causing worsening droughts, floods and heat waves — the use of dirty fuels for electricity and transport, petrochemicals to make products like plastics and the emissions from food waste in landfills all need to be drastically slashed, scientists say. Though individual initiatives are just a small part of that transition, experts say growing momentum behind climate goals can have an effect.
Groups taking an Islamic-based approach often highlight environmental understandings of certain Quranic verses and sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad about the earth, water and against wastefulness.
Last year, at a meeting of the Muslim Congress for Sustainable Indonesia, the country’s vice president Ma’ruf Amin called on clerics and community leaders “to play an active role in conveying issues related to environmental damage” and asked for concrete action on climate change including through donations to solar projects like those at Istiqlal Mosque.
Muhammad Ali Yusuf, a board member at the faith-based Nahdlatul Ulama’s Institution for Disaster Management and Climate Change in Indonesia, said spreading awareness about clean energy is a “shared responsibility” for Muslims, where mosques' own solar panel installations can be catalysts toward a greater transition.
In the United States and Canada, environmental groups that began springing up in Muslim communities in the mid-2000s independently from one another formed “green Muslim understandings” from within their religious traditions, according to Imam Saffet Catovic, a U.S. Muslim community environmental activist.
“In some cases, the mosques were receptive to it,” he said. In others, mosque leaders, “didn’t fully understand” the drive, he added.
Ramadan offers a “possibility for ecological training that’s unique to the Muslim community,” Catovic said. “Thirty days allow someone to change their habits."
The Islamic Society of North America website calls on Muslims to be “an eco-friendly community”, saying looking after the environment is “based upon the premise that Islam has ordained us to be the stewards and protectors of this planet.”
Some mosques and Muslims around the world are heeding such calls, one small step at a time.
Ahead of Ramadan this year, the mosque at Al Ma’hadul Islamic Boarding School in Indonesia received solar panels through Islamic donations, supplying enough energy for the mosque's entire needs. The electricity from the solar panels also lights up schools and roads in the vicinity.
The Nizamiye Mosque in Johannesburg, South Africa, with its towering minarets and spacious interior, has a roof dotted with domes and solar panels that help keep the power on at the mosque and its surrounding schools, clinic and bazaar.
The 143 panels cover over a third of the complex's energy use in a country that has struggled in recent years to provide enough electricity through its strained grid.
In Edison, New Jersey, Masjid Al-Wali¸ a mosque and community center, has been adopting changes such as selling reusable water bottles to members at cost and installing more water coolers to discourage the use of disposable plastic bottles, said board member Akil Mansuri.
“Preserving the environment is the Islamically right thing to do,” Mansuri said. “People accept the message, but adoption is always slower.”
Several years ago, Masjid Al-Wali, whose activities include an Islamic school and monthly community dinners, installed solar panels.
Meals this Ramadan for the mosque’s community iftars come in plastic pre-packaged boxes for now, Mansuri said. But mosque leaders encourage members to take leftovers and reuse the boxes, instead of throwing them away, he said, adding he hopes alternatives can be found next Ramadan.
In the United Kingdom, Projects Against Plastic, a Bristol-based charity, is leading a plastic-free Ramadan campaign.
“I feel like, as a Muslim, that mosques are the hub of the communities and they should take a little bit more leading role for sustainability and toward recycling,” PAP founder Naseem Talukdar said. “During the month of Ramadan is where I’ve really seen a ridiculous amount of plastic being used and thrown away.”
Mosques are urged to raise awareness on plastic pollution and reduce reliance on single-use plastic. Seven Bristol mosques participated in a pilot project last year, with varying results, and a national campaign, with more than 20 participating mosques, was rolled out this year.
Besides education, another challenge is when mosques don’t have enough funds to buy reusable cutlery, dishwashers and water fountains.
“We knew we were going to hit some hard walls and some pushbacks, but, to be honest, the engagement that we’ve seen so far, it was a little overwhelming,” Talukdar said. “Even though the progress is slow, but there’s a real appetite for this kind of initiative within the mosque."
Ummah for Earth, an alliance-led initiative that aims to empower Muslim communities facing climate change, is urging people to pledge to adopt one eco-friendly practice during Ramadan. Options include asking an imam to address environmental issues, donating to environmental charities and shopping sustainably.
“Many Muslims are not aware that there are environmental teachings in the Quran and the sayings of the prophet and that they have a role that they can play to protect the planet,” said Nouhad Awwad, Beirut-based campaigner and global outreach coordinator for the Ummah for Earth project at Greenpeace MENA.
As they work to raise awareness, campaigners often encounter the argument that climate change is “destined” and that “you cannot change God’s destiny,” Awwad said.
“We’re trying to change the narrative,” she said. “We have things that we can do on an individual level, on a community level and on a political level.”
Indonesia’s Merapi volcano spews hot clouds in new eruption
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted Saturday with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava, forcing authorities to halt tourism and mining activities on the slopes of the country’s most active volcano.
Merapi, on the densely populated island of Java, unleashed clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) down its slopes. A column of hot clouds rose 100 meters (yards) into the air, said the National Disaster Management Agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari.
The eruption throughout the day blocked out the sun and blanketed several villages with falling ash. No casualties have been reported.
It was Merapi’s biggest lava flow since authorities raised the alert level to the second-highest in November 2020, said Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center.
Also Read: Indonesia landslide deaths climb to 21; dozens still missing
She said residents living on Merapi’s slopes were advised to stay 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) away from the crater’s mouth and be aware of the danger posed by lava.
Tourism and mining activities were halted.
The 2,968-meter (9,737-foot) mountain is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Yogyakarta, an ancient center of Javanese culture and the seat of royal dynasties going back centuries. About a quarter million people live within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the volcano.
Merapi is the most active of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently. Its last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and displaced 20,000 villagers.
Also Read: Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 19; 3 still missing
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
An eruption in December 2021 of Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on Java island, left 48 people dead and 36 missing.
Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 19; 3 still missing
Indonesian rescuers and firefighters on Sunday searched for three people who were still missing under the rubble of charred houses and buildings, after a large fire spread from a fuel storage depot in the capital and killed at least 19 people.
The Plumpang fuel storage station, operated by state-run oil and gas company Pertamina, is near a densely populated area in the Tanah Merah neighborhood in North Jakarta. It supplies 25% of Indonesia’s fuel needs.
At least 260 firefighters and 52 fire engines extinguished the blaze just before midnight on Friday after it tore through the neighborhood for more than two hours, fire officials said.
Footage showed hundreds of people running in panic as thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames filled the sky.
Also Read: Indonesia oil depot fire kills 15, 16 still missing
National police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said a preliminary investigation showed the fire was caused by a technical problem involving excess pressure as the depot received fuel from Pertamina’s Balongan Refinery in West Java province.
“It was found that a fire occurred during a filling of Pertamax fuel,” Listyo told a news conference late Saturday, referring to a type of fuel oil produced by Pertamina.
He didn’t elaborate as investigators from Pertamina and the police were still working to establish the cause of the fire, including by questioning dozens of witnesses and examining video recordings from surveillance cameras.
Residents living near the depot said they smelled a strong odor of gasoline, causing some people to vomit, after which thunder rumbled twice, followed by a huge explosion.
Sri Haryati, a mother of three, said the fire began to spread about 20 minutes later, causing panic.
“I was crying and immediately grabbed our valuable documents and ran with my husband and children,” Haryati said, adding that she heard smaller blasts that echoed across the neighborhood as orange flames jumped from the depot.
Rescuers were still searching for three people who were reported missing. About 35 people were receiving treatment in five hospitals, some of them in critical condition.
Listyo said more than 1,300 people were displaced and taking shelter in 10 government offices, a Red Cross command post and a sport stadium.
Pertamina's head Nicke Widyawati apologized and said the company would provide help to the community and cooperate in the investigation.
“We will carry out a thorough evaluation and reflection internally to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” Widyawati said in a statement, adding that the company ensured the safe supply of fuel oil.
On Saturday, grieving relatives gathered at a police hospital’s morgue in eastern Jakarta to try to identify their loved ones. Officials said the victims were burned beyond recognition and could only be identified through DNA and dental records.
In 2014, a fire at the same fuel depot engulfed at least 40 houses, but no casualties were reported.
Indonesia’s State Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir told reporters that the government will remap safe zones for residential areas away from vital objects.
He said the incident showed the Plumpang area is not safe for the community, and the government is planning to move the fuel storage depot to Tanjung Priok port in northern Jakarta.
Indonesia oil depot fire kills 15, 16 still missing
Indonesian rescuers and firefighters on Saturday searched for possible victims under the rubble of charred houses and buildings after a large fire broke out at a fuel storage depot in the capital, killing at least 15 people and leaving 16 others missing.
The Plumpang fuel storage station, operated by state-run oil and gas company Pertamina, is near a densely populated area in the Tanah Merah neighborhood in North Jakarta. It supplies 25% of Indonesia’s fuel needs.
At least 260 firefighters and 52 fire engines managed to extinguish the blaze just before midnight on Friday after a fire spread through the neighborhood for more than two hours, fire officials said. They were working to secure the area on Saturday.
Video of the fire broadcast on television late Friday showed hundreds of people in the community running in panic while thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames filled the sky and firefighters battled the blaze.
A preliminary investigation showed the fire broke out when a pipeline ruptured during heavy rain, possibly from a lightning strike, said Eko Kristiawan, Pertamina’s area manager for the western part of Java.
Residents living near the depot said they smelled a strong odor of gasoline, causing some people to vomit, after which thunder rumbled twice, followed by a huge explosion around 8 pm.
Sri Haryati, a mother of three children, said the fire began to spread in their neighborhood about 20 minutes later, causing sudden panic among residents.
“I was crying and immediately grabbed our valuable documents and ran with my husband and children,” Haryati said.
She said she heard smaller blasts that echoed across the residential neighborhood as orange flames jumped from the depot compound and columns of black smoke billowed.
Data from the Indonesian Red Cross’ command center said the death toll had been revised to 15 from 17 after authorities found that some victims were counted twice. Rescuers continued searching for 16 people who were reported missing or separated from their families amid the chaos. About 49 people were receiving treatment in five hospitals, some of them in critical condition.
Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono said about 600 displaced people were being taken to temporary shelters at government offices, a Red Cross command post and a sport stadium.
Pertamina’s president director Nicke Widyawati apologized for the incident and said the company would provide help to affected communities.
She said the company is working closely with related institutions and law enforcement to investigate the cause of the fire at the depot.
“We will carry out a thorough evaluation and reflection internally to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” Widyawati said in a statement, adding that the company ensured the supply of fuel oil will be safe.
The company will utilize fuel supplies from a number of Pertamina’s fuel terminals on Java island and support the Cilacap and Balongan refineries, which are channeled by sea to Tanjung Priok terminal in North Jakarta.
As investigators tried to piece together what happened, grieving relatives went to a police hospital’s morgue in eastern Jakarta Saturday morning to identify loved ones. Officials said all of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.
“The condition of corpses made them hard to recognize ... they could only be identified through DNA and dental data,” said Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, the Jakarta Police spokesperson.
Friday’s fire was the second large blaze at the Plumpang fuel depot. In 2014, a fire engulfed at least 40 nearby houses, but no casualties were reported.
Fahmi Radhi, an energy analyst from Gajah Mada University, urged Pertamina and the government to immediately move the depot away from the nearby community settlements.
“Pertamina has been negligent by not using international standard security systems,” he said in an interview with Kompas TV. He said that since the 2014 fire there have been no efforts to put such a system in place and that regular inspections should be conducted to avoid future fires.
“Pertamina’s board of directors should be held responsible for this deadliest fire by being dismissed immediately,” Radhi said.
An oil spill in 2018 caused a fire that killed five people and sickened hundreds in the port city of Balikpapan. Authorities said it came from a broken pipe that Pertamina was using to transfer crude oil.
In March 2021, a fire at Cilacap gasoline storage facility at the largest oil refinery on the main island of Java prompted the evacuation of 80 nearby residents and injured at least 20 people. Cilacap is one of six Pertamina refineries with a processing capacity of 270,000 barrels a day. Eight months later, more than 900 people were evacuated after a fire broke out at the Pertamina Balongan Refinery in West Java province.
APR showcases 'pioneering solutions' in textile at DTG 2023
Indonesia's Asia Pacific Rayon (APR), a producer of viscose rayon, is showcasing and providing samples of its yarns and fibres at the 17th Dhaka International Textile and Garment Machinery Exhibition.
The four-day exhibition that began Wednesday is expected to provide an opportunity for local textile and garment manufacturers to meet their global suppliers and experience their digital solutions and innovations.
APR is Asia's "first fully integrated" viscose rayon producer from plantation to viscose fibre and the only Indonesian company that has joined the exhibition.
The company is sharing information on its sustainability commitments under its APR2030 agenda, including the responsible sourcing of fibre for viscose production. Some of the APR2030 targets include reducing its product carbon footprint per tonne of viscose staple fibre by 50 percent.
APR said it will continue to derive 100 percent of its mill's energy needs from renewable and clean energy sources, investing in solutions to improve process efficiency and recovery systems and accelerate innovation in textile recycling, using 20 percent waste composition in its viscose production.
The company's mill in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, Indonesia, produces 240,000 tonnes of viscose staple fibre annually "using state-of-the-art production facilities and innovation while ensuring environmental-friendly production."
APR is the "first viscose manufacturer" in Indonesia to earn the sustainable textile production (sTeP) certification from OEKOTEX, an independent Swiss-based certification organisation for viscose staple fibre.
The company sells to more than 20 countries globally, including key markets like Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is the second largest export market for APR with around 20 percent share of the company's total export.
Viscose-rayon is a fully biodegradable alternative to acrylic, polyester, nylon, and other petroleum-based synthetic fabrics. The demand for viscose rayon is poised to grow at a CAGR of 4 percent by 2028 as fashion brands shift to non-fossil fuel-based materials.
Soft as cotton, breathable, and smooth as silk, viscose rayon drapes beautifully and provides comfort and design versatility.
"Bangladesh is a key market for us. Our VSF (viscose-staple fibre) business will continue to expand into the international markets by partnering with others in the textile value chain. We are committed to responding to customer demand for sustainable viscose with quality, differentiated product offerings, and competitive pricing," said Tapan Sannigrahi, vice-president of marketing and downstream development of APR.
Read more: Bangladesh RMG industry gearing up with latest innovations & technologies: BGMEA