ENCHANTMENT FESTIVAL TO REVEAL WONDERS OF RAJA AMPAT

Rabu, 26 Jun 2019 18:44

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 26/6 (Antara) - The Raja Ampat Enchantment Festival will showcase the wonders of Raja Ampat as a marine tourism destination to divers, marine lovers and adventurers from October 18 - 21, 2019.

Named the Worlds Best Snorkeling and Diving destination by CNN Travel, Raja Ampat, has prepared three locations for the international marine tourism event, notably Waisai, Sapokren Village and Mayalibit Bay.

The festival themed Exotic Raja Ampat, is being organized at different locations with the objective of boosting the local economy and empowering the indigenous people.

The locals will offer services such as homestay, speedboat riding, longboat tours, and other means of transportation to tourists during the festival to be organized by the Raja Ampat district administration, with the support of the West Papua Provincial Government and the Tourism Ministry, according to the head of the Raja Ampat Tourism Office, Yusdi Lamatenggo.

Raja Ampat is often called "Heaven on Earth", "Miracle of Papua", "Underwater Paradise on Earth", or "Real Wonder of the World" for its mesmerizing marine panorama.

The district has a geopark that is much more beautiful than the one in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

In 2012, the district was included in the list of Real Wonders of the World. It has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most beautiful diving sites, and rated number one for its rich marine flora and fauna diversity.

The district has around 1,700 islands, including the unoccupied and most beautiful Isle of Wayag, which is made of karst or limestone from other isles.

ENVIRONMENTAL LESSON TO LEARN FROM FLOODING IN SOUTHEAST SULAWESI

Senin, 24 Jun 2019 20:49

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 24/6 (Antara) - Parts of Indonesia have begun to experience extreme dry season that causes water crisis, while other parts still have rains with high precipitation leading to major floods in Samarinda (East Kalimantan Province), Morowali (Central Sulawesi), and Konawe and North Konawe Districts in Southeast Sulawesi Province.

Flooding in Morowali District recently destroyed four bridges and caused extensive damage to over 10 homes, and affected more than 16 thousand people in three sub-districts.

In Samarinda, East Kalimantan, floods affected 9,358 families constituting 30,580 people living in of North Samarinda, Sungai Pinang, and Samarinda Ulu sub-districts.

Triggered by torrential downpour, floods inundated seven sub-districts in North Konawe District since June 2, resulting in the Lalindu, Walasoko, and Wadambali rivers overflowing their banks. Andowia, Asera, Landawe, Langkikima, Oheo, Wiwirano, and Motui are the seven affected sub-districts.
Flooding in the worst-affected North Konawe reportedly caused financial losses amounting to Rp674.8 billion and led to the displacement of 9,609 people and affected 18765 others, Ruksamin, the North Kunawe district head, stated.
The flooding destroyed four bridges and 370 homes along with inundating four other bridges, 1,962 homes, five mosques, 14 elementary schools, five junior high schools, a senior high school, 17 kindergartens, three traditional markets, and at least four community health centers, as well Trans-Sulawesi highway.

SEVERAL INDONESIAN REGIONS BRACE FOR DROUGHT

Sabtu, 22 Jun 2019 23:16

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah
Jakarta, 22/6 (Antara) -
Several regional authorities have been reminded to intensify the monitoring for possible forest fires and droughts, as the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMK) forecasts that this year's dry season will be drier, compared to the previous year.

In fact, all regions in Java, notably West Java, Central Java and East Java, have begun to experience the dry season, which is expected to hit its peak in July and August 2019, with the exception of Bogor, West Java, except where local rains continue to lash the City of Rains.

"Regions which were affected by droughts during the June, July and August period of last year, should be vigilant this year," Adi Ripalsi, head of the agency's climate information analysis sub-unit, said in Jakarta on June 21, 2019, adding, "Last year, the precipitation during the dry season was less than 20 millimeters a month, and this year, it could go lower."

He also reminded people living in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Sulawesi, and Sumatra to be vigilant due to the impact caused by droughts. The dry season is expected to reach its peak from August to September in these regions.

"NTB and NTT are harvesting rainwater for farming and, hence, this needs to be supported by irrigation water," he said.

In Central Java, some 360 villages in 31 of the provinces 35 districts are prone to drought this year. Even as Central Java has begun to experience its dry season this June, eight villages in the Banyumas District have already begun facing a water crisis.

"Based on the latest data, eight villages are facing a clean water shortage, as precipitation in Banyumas has decreased," Ariono Poerwanto, acting head of the Banyumas disaster mitigation office, said here on Friday.

ASEAN SUMMIT A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO PUT BRAKES ON PLASTIC WASTE IMPORTS

Jumat, 21 Jun 2019 23:30

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah
Jakarta, 21/6 (Antara) - The ASEAN leaders are set to meet in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 22-23, 2019, for the 34th ASEAN Summit, themed Advancing Partnership for Sustainability, which is expected to produce 16 documents.
These include the ASEAN Leader's Vision Statement on the Partnership for Sustainability, ASEAN Joint View of the Indo-Pacific, the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the ASEAN Culture Year, and the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Waste in the ASEAN Region.

The Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN region was proposed by the ASEAN member countries environmental affairs ministers who met in Bangkok, on March 5, 2019, for the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Marine Debris (SAMM-MD).

The meeting was an initiative of Thailand, as the Chair of the ASEAN in 2019, to provide the ASEAN a platform to explore and pursue concrete action on combating marine debris and strengthening collaboration between the ASEAN and supportive partners to address marine debris issues in the region effectively.

Ironically, while the ASEAN member countries are concerned about marine debris, which mostly comprises plastic waste, imports of a deluge of unwanted and toxic plastic waste have flooded the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand over the last several years.

During the 2016-2018 period, the ASEAN region saw plastic waste imports grow by a staggering 171%, from 836,529 tons to 2,265,962 tons. Thats equivalent to around 423,544 20-foot shipping containers, according to data quoted by Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

TRAFFIC DEATHS FALL 74% DURING 2019 EID AL-FITR

Selasa, 18 Jun 2019 09:43

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah
Jakarta, 18/6 (Antara) - During the post-Ramadhan (Fasting Month) Holiday, most Indonesian Muslims follow the tradition of returning to their hometowns to celebrate the Eid Al-Fitr Islamic Festival with their families there. As a result, there is an exodus of travelers, particularly from cities to villages, during the holiday season. The annual tradition is locally called mudik.

Indonesia is the world's forth most populous nation and the world's largest Muslim majority country, with nearly 90 percent of its 260 million people being Muslims.

Over the last few years, the government has encouraged homebound travelers to not travel by motorcycles on their journeys home, since motorcycles are more likely to being involved in traffic accidents. For this reason, the government has provided free rides to many of those heading home for the holidays.

This year, the number of free ride programs provided to homebound travelers by state and private companies, as well as government offices, increased significantly.

The number of holidaymakers joining the free-ride programs reached 511,413 people during the 2019 Eid Al-Fitr holiday season, up 68.54 percent from 303,429 people using free rides in the 2018 Eid Al-Fitr exodus by railway, ships, boats, buses, and planes.

Also, the Jakarta administration provided free rides to 17,427 people during this year's Eid Al-Fitr holiday. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan saw off homebound travelers joining the program on May 30, 2019. The Jakarta administration provided 354 buses to bring them to 10 destinations on Java Island. The destinations were Ciamis and Kuningan in West Java Province, Tegal, Pekalongan, Kebumen, Semarang, Surakarta, and Wonogiri in Central Java Province, Yogyakarta, and Jombang in East Java Province.

SAIL INDONESIA 2019 TO UNVEIL BEST SECRET OF INDONESIA: NIAS ISLAND

Kategori : National News (NAT)

Jumat, 14 Jun 2019 21:05

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 14/6 (Antara) -
Nias Island, located in North Sumatra Province and often considered the best kept secret of Indonesians, will be unveiled to the world at an international maritime event to be organized from July until September 2019.

Sail Nias, the 11th series of Sail Indonesia, will be opened at a ceremony in Teluk Dalam (Bay), South Nias, on September 14, 2019. Sail Indonesia is part of plans to accelerate the development of underdeveloped regions in Indonesia.

Various activities will be organized during the event, including Wonderful Nias Expo 2019, an international surfing contest, a battleship parade, Nias Marathon, a culinary bazaar, and traditional art and cultural performances.

Other activities will include Wind Surfing and Sailing Contests, Free Diving Competition, Stone Jump Festival, Traditional Fishing Boat Parade, Coffee Festival, Fishing Tournament, Wonderful Tourism Photo Expo, One Thousand Tents Festival, and the Mt Sitori cultural seminar.

At least 100 thousand Indonesian and foreign tourists are expected to come for Sail Nias, whose main activities will be held from September 10 to 14, according to Hidayati, head of the North Sumatra tourism office.
Sail Nias will offer an opportunity to promote Nias globally and boost the local economy, Zaman K. Mendrofa, a prominent figure, remarked recently.