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dust
in the wind
How a coal power plant threatens lives and livelihoods on the North Coast of Java
by Dhana Kencana
“Bleat bleat bleat bleat.”
Surmi’s sheep cannot stop bleating this afternoon. When their owner comes to feed them, they suddenly grow silent and calm.
Surmi herds 19 sheep in a six by three metre barn with care. She regularly visits the barn to clean it up, feed the sheep, and check on their health. She often needs to find out if there is a pregnant or sick sheep in the herd.
Surmi has done this twice a day, every morning and afternoon, for the last three months. She chooses to herd the sheep as her body does not allow her to work on a farm after a doctor discovered that her eyes did not work properly.
"My eyes hurt. That’s why I wear glasses. Seeing something 1.5 metres away is unclear to my eyes, blurry. The doctor examined me and said that I had two health conditions; cataracts and a problem in my retina,” says the female shepherd born in Mekarsari Village in 1972.
Ersan’s wife says she started to get eye problems in the past two years. At that time, she worked on a farm two kilometres east of a coal power plant called Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant.
While working, Surmi saw the coal power plant’s chimneys releasing black, brown, and orange smoke for days. As a daily farm labourer, she did not have any choice. She was required to keep working to make ends meet.
Then, something inevitable happened. Surmi was exposed to the dust released by the power plant coming with the wind from the west. Her eyes were in agony.
At first, she tried to shake it off. As time passed by, Surmi still suffered pain in her eyes as they kept producing a solid dark-coloured discharge.
“I thought it was a common eye problem. I tried eye drops medication, but it didn’t work. Then, I visited an ophthalmologist. After five examinations and one injection, my eyes haven’t recovered, and my vision hasn’t gotten better,” she recalls the dark period in her life.
That tough situation forced Surmi to lose her job as a daily farm labourer, a job she had done for almost half her life. However, even after deciding to become a shepherd, she is still exposed to the dust produced by Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant, even though her sheep barn is five kilometres away from the coal power plant run by PT Pembangkit Jawa Bali (PJB), a subsidiary of a state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).
>> “My eyes...
“My eyes have a problem. I can’t see clearly now. If you are a farmer, vision is essential. You require it to plant, mow, and check the rice plants. When working on the farm, I was near to the dust. I am now far away and still exposed too,” says Surmi.
Surmi wishes Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant would stop doing their activities, as they have been proven to put her and the people around her in peril. Besides material loss, the coal power plant also harms people’s access to their basic rights of health, education, and food.
She says she is the victim of Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant development since now she has to live with the bitter reality that her eyes are damaged. In addition to that, she also suffers from a long dry cough as the result of dust exposure produced by the power plant.
Future and Mental Gloom
Aeni April Nuria and Surmi share a similar story. She lives 1.5 kilometres away from Surmi’s house. She firmly keeps the memory of things that happened to her in 2017.
Her mother, Raminih, says she was suspicious of Aeni’s abnormal growth. Her daughter kept on losing weight and suffered shortness of breath and constant dry cough.
Aeni was often sick. Her body suddenly became hot, causing her to faint several times.
Worrying about her daughter’s deteriorating situation, Raminih brought Aeni to Sidawangi Lung Hospital in Cirebon. She had to face a harsh reality after the doctor diagnosed that Aeni suffered from lung spots due to bad air conditions.
The diagnosis shocked Raminih. She never imagined that Aeni had to endure long spots on her lungs when she was only eight years old.
“Based on the X-ray images, the doctor discovered that my daughter got lung spots. Then I was asked if I lived near the coal power plant, and I said yes. For this condition, the doctor told me to always maintain cleanliness, especially avoiding dust and air around the house,” says her when we visit her house in Mekarsari Village, Patrol District, Indramayu Regency.
Aeni’s health improved after the hospital visit, but she has not fully recovered yet. She still undergoes outpatient treatment and has a dry cough to this day. This cough can worsen when the weather is hot or when entering the dry season.
Raminih does not dismiss that Aeni’s mental health is affected too, due to her chronic health condition. She looks traumatised and tends to be silent ever since.
Besides her daughter’s deteriorating physical and mental health situations, Raminih’s access to food is also affected by Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant activity. Before, she could easily retrieve vegetable supplies from local farms. Then, everything is gone.
Dust released by the power plant chimneys affects the environment where she lives and inflicts soil quality and plant productivity.
“Before Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant, I could harvest the vegetables on the farm and eat them right away, or I could cook them in the kitchen at ease. Now, most of the plants are dead. While vegetables, if they can survive the dust, we can’t eat them right away anymore after being harvested as they need to be cleaned with water. If not, they can be contaminated with poisonous dust from the coal power plant,” the 44 years old female tells us.
Supplier closest to the ruler
Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant stands on 83 hectares of land in Sumuradem Village, Sukra District, Indramayu Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia. Its total capacity is 3x330 megawatts (MW) which provides electricity for Java and Bali, particularly for West Java and Jakarta.
The coal power plant was built in 2007 by the consortium of China National Machinery Industry Corp (SINOMACH), China National Electric Equipment Corp (CNEEC), and PT Penta Adi Samudera. The estimated number of coals needed by Indramayu 1 Coal Power Plant is 4.2 million tons per year.
The coals are supplied from Kalimantan and Sumatera by the likes of PT Arutmin Indonesia, PT Kaltim Prima Coal, PT Kideco Jaya Agung, PT Bukit Asam, and PLN Batubara.
The need for water in large volumes is met by the largest water source surrounding the power plant’s area, the sea. The water is used to dissipate the heat when the power plant is working.
The process of thermal waste disposal affects local waters.
The thermal waste is streamed through canals to the sea. The waste affects the sea’s salinity (salt level) and increases the chemical toxicity that stirs fish migration.
Momentum for energy transition?
Most of the coal power plants in Indonesia are located in coastal areas, like PLTU Indramayu 1 on the north coast, which adjoins Java Island’s North Coast (Pantura).
A scientific journal written by Didha Andini and Lisa Sahara from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science at Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Cirebon, as cited by Saintek Perikanan, discovered that a coal power plant needs water to dissipate the heat made by the electricity generation process. Water becomes the main driver for the coal power plant’s turbines.
>> The need..
A Living from Waste Brings Blessings to the Universe
Physical limitations are not an excuse and obstacle
The growth of the wood processing industry in Indonesia continues to grow every year. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the industry's gross domestic product (GDP) reached IDR 14.18 trillion in the second quarter of 2022. This achievement increased by 5.36 per cent from the previous year (year on year / y-o-y) of IDR 13.46 trillion.
Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang said, the growth of the wood processing industry indicates an increase in demand in the sector.
The increase in the productivity of the wood processing industry was followed by an increase in the waste produced. Wood waste is the remains of wood or wood parts that are considered to have no economic value anymore, but are actually still utilised.
These wood wastes are usually in the form of sawn scraps, long or short pieces, and bark. So far, wood waste has only been sold at low prices to be reused as firewood or left to deteriorate and rot.
Efforts to Preserve the Environment
Azis Abdullah Bajasud, a resident of Semarang, Central Java, has his own way of dealing with wood waste. He utilises and processes the waste into products or goods that have functional and economic value. That is, making wood waste as raw material for various crafts, one of which is the manufacture of eyeglass frames.
>> According...
According to the 43-year-old physically disabled man, wood waste is a problem that has been handled by simply leaving it to rot, piling it up or burning it. These treatments have a negative impact on the environment and living things, so they require sustainable countermeasures.
For example, if wood waste is handled by burning, it can pollute air quality, causing air pollution and increasing carbon emissions. These conditions increase the vulnerability to respiratory diseases, such as acute respiratory infections (ARI) and pneumonia.
"By utilising wood waste to make eyeglass frames into products of economic value, we can at the same time create jobs for our fellow disabled friends," he said.
Apart from the benefits of protecting the environment, the use of wood waste as raw material for eyeglass frame products has various advantages.
Lecturer at the Faculty of Forestry, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Yogyakarta, J Pramana Gentur Sutapa explained that these advantages include savings in the cost of extracting wood from forests or other places, relatively low moisture content of wood material so that it does not require drying costs during production, and the price of wood waste is relatively cheap.
Furthermore, Azis' wooden spectacle frames can be claimed as products made from waste (recycled) so that in terms of the environment and marketing, it can be beneficial and become an added value.
Lifetime Warranty
Azis started his wooden spectacle frame business in early 2020, precisely when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Indonesia. In those uncertain conditions, he had the courage to take the decision to innovate in making eyeglass frames from wood waste.
When he first started, Azis was not ashamed despite his limited physical condition to scavenge wood waste around a wood processing factory close to where he lives in the Genuk area, Semarang. At that time, it took four days to make one wooden spectacle frame.
In the beginning, I tried to make them manually, slowly, and asked for input, suggestions, and evaluations from many people so that the product would be special. Alhamdulillah, now I have my own tools and it doesn't take as long to produce. Now it takes only three hours to make one wooden eyeglass frame," said the owner of BJHomemade MSME.
"In the beginning, I tried to make it manually, slowly, and asked for input, advice, and evaluation from many people so that the product would be special. Thank God, now I have my own tools and it doesn't take long to produce. Now it takes only three hours to produce one wooden eyeglass frame," said the owner of BJHomemade MSME.
Azis' business has been booming since selling wooden glasses. He has also managed to build a network of resellers for the product.
The price of wooden glasses at the reseller level is Rp300,000 with a minimum purchase of five frames. Meanwhile, if you buy individually, the price per frame is IDR 500,000.
Susiati's husband also dares to provide a lifetime warranty for buyers of his glasses frames, which are mostly made from teak and rosewood waste.
"These glasses frames are elegant. Buyers can order their own (custom) or based on existing designs. The target audience is all ages and I give a lifetime guarantee. If the wooden glasses are damaged, broken, or whatever, I will replace them. Wherever you want to buy them from, we'll send them," admits the man who was born on 3 May 1979.
Keeping the Business Sustainable
The innovation of wooden eyeglass frames has increased his income. Azis is able to sell 50-100 wooden spectacle frames with a turnover of Rp7 million every month.
He also invited fellow disabled people to help his business because he was overwhelmed by the high demand.
During times of high demand, Azis chooses to visit and join BRI Bank's BUMN House on Jalan Sultan Agung Number 108 Semarang. He did this to expand his market share so that his sales would not be monotonous.
"I thought about how to develop and increase sales so that this business can survive. It's not just for a short time, because it's for the sustainability of our disabled friends' jobs too," he said.
For Azis, wooden eyeglass frame products require advanced marketing methods to introduce the products to consumers. He realises that as a vocational high school graduate, he does not have enough understanding and knowledge in this field.
"Marketing is the blood of MSMEs. I ventured to Rumah BUMN and joined there, learning many things to advance this MSME (BJHomemade) to the next level. Such as marketing strategies so that wooden eyeglass frame products are better known to many people and have the potential to be purchased so that sales are maximised," said the father of Haykal Subkhainur Bajasud and Hayfa Mardalena Bajasud.
MSMEs Key to Indonesia's Economy
The positive effects felt by Azis are increasingly evident and sustainable. Until finally he was appointed by Bank BRI to participate in the exhibition at the BRILianpreneur 2022 UMKM EXPO (RT) event at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Jakarta, on 14-18 December 2022. During the event, Azis' turnover reached Rp12 million.
"Until now, I still can't believe that I could participate in the big event (UMKM EXPO(RT) BRILianpreneur 2022). My wooden glasses frames sold up to 20 pieces. There, I also got a buyer from Australia who wanted to order 1,000 pieces of my wooden glasses," he said, admitting that it was his first time participating in the MSME exhibition at the event.
Azis has benefited from BRI Bank's BUMN House in Semarang. The existence of the BUMN House is able to raise the class of MSME players, while at the same time helping to increase economic growth in Indonesia.
QRIS Bank Indonesia, Memberi Energi UMKM dan Perempuan Dalam Negeri
Kebermanfaatannya memberdayakan perempuan Indonesia
Semarang - Perkembangan teknologi digital membantu dalam percepatan bisnis para pelaku Usaha Mikro, Kecil, dan Menengah (UMKM). Salah satunya adalah penggunaan layanan teknologi keuangan digital untuk transaksi mereka.
Bank Indonesia (BI) mendorong pelaku UMKM untuk menggunakan Quick Response Indonesian Standard (QRIS) yang diluncurkan pada 17 Agustus 2019, sebagai sistem pembayaran transaksi mereka. QRIS menjadi bagian dari Blueprint Sistem Pembayaran Indonesia (BSPI) tahun 2025.
Dalam perkembangannya, QRIS telah memiliki berbagai fitur yang makin memudahkan pengguna dan pedagang (merchant). Seperti QRIS Tanpa Tatap Muka (TTM) pada tahun 2020, QRIS Consumer Presented Mode (CPM) tahun 2021, dan QRIS Antarnegara pada tahun 2022.
QRIS telah terstandarisasi oleh Penyelenggara Jasa Pembayaran (PJP) seperti bank dan beberapa perusahaan teknologi keuangan (financial technology/fintech).
Dengan QRIS, pembeli dan merchant dapat bertransaksi menggunakan mobile banking atau dompet digital (e-wallet) untuk transaksi nontunai (cashless) yang lebih cepat, mudah, murah, aman dan andal.
BI mencatatkan, jumlah merchant QRIS (yang menjual produk dan jasa, baik secara online atau offline) di Jawa Tengah pada Triwulan I tahun 2023 mencapai 2,5 juta. Jumlah tersebut tumbuh sebesar 94,11 persen dari tahun ke tahun (year-on-year/y-o-y).
Dari jumlah itu, sebanyak 98,14 persen merchant QRIS adalah pelaku UMKM.
Lebih dari itu, nominal transaksi yang QRIS di Jateng meningkat 26 persen atau mencapai Rp2 triliun y-o-y, dengan jumlah transaksi sebanyak 22,3 juta kali.
Kepala Perwakilan Bank Indonesia Provinsi Jawa Tengah, Rahmat Dwi Saputra mengatakan, akseptasi dan preferensi masyarakat dalam berbelanja daring meningkatkan penggunaan QRIS. Selain itu, terdapat faktor kemudahan QRIS dalam sistem pembayaran digital dan kecepatan layanan banking.
Ia menambahkan, pihaknya terus menyosialisasikan penggunaan QRIS sebagai bagian target program 30 juta UMKM bisa Go Digital tahun 2024.
“Jumlah itu masih berpeluang tumbuh seiring dengan perubahan tren pola transaksi masyarakat yang makin terbuka terhadap adopsi pembayaran digital. Makin maraknya kasus pemalsuan uang Rupiah, mendorong untuk memperluas edukasi kepada masyarakat. Masyarakat perlu diingatkan kembali akan metode pembayaran yang aman yakni QRIS,” ujarnya di Semarang, Sabtu (28/10/2023).
“Itu betul-betul mengurangi peredaran uang palsu.”
Kebermanfaatan QRIS dirasakan oleh Yuli Muhawati. Ibu rumah tangga pemilik UMKM Mlatiwangi itu bersyukur, bisnisnya yang dirintis sejak 2014, makin berkembang berkat teknologi QRIS.
Mlatiwangi adalah UMKM rumahan produsen kerajinan tangan tas wanita. Bahan yang digunakan adalah berbahan serat alam. Seperti dari daun pandan, daun pelepah pisang, dan eceng gondok.
Yuli juga berinovasi dengan mengeksplorasi pembuatan tas wanita dari serat goni.
Adapun, produk-produk tas Mlatiwangi antara lain handbag, clutch, sampai dompet dengan harga mulai Rp100--500 ribu. Pelanggan produk tas kerajinan tangan itu tersebar di Jakarta dan sekitarnya, Bali serta beberapa negara di Eropa, seperti Belanda.
Selain keperluan transaksi keuangan, keuntungan menggunakan QRIS bagi Yuli yang paling utama adalah terhindar dari aksi kejahatan uang palsu.
QRIS meminimalisir ibu tiga anak itu menerima uang palsu saat berdagang. Sebab, di usianya yang mendekati lansia, Yuli agak kerepotan jika harus selalu mengecek setiap lembar uang tunai yang ia terima saat pembelian produk tas Mlatiwangi. Terlebih saat mengikuti pameran UMKM dari kota satu ke kota lain.
"Berasa banget manfaatnya. Itu betul-betul mengurangi peredaran uang palsu. Kalau zaman sekarang, (uang palsu) sudah mirip-mirip uangnya susah dibedakan kalau melihat sekilas. Kalau menerima uang cash, agak ribet juga harus mengecek dulu, diterawang dulu, harus bawa lampu UV untuk deteksi uang. Belum lagi memperhatikan ada garisnya atau tidak," aku perempuan berusia 54 tahun itu kepada di tempat usahanya Jalan Mlatiharjo Raya Tengah Nomor 14 Semarang, Selasa (10/10/2023).
Seperti diketahui, Bank Indonesia (BI) melaporkan, jumlah peredaran uang palsu di Indonesia sepanjang Januari--Oktober 2022 mencapai 575.327 lembar. Jumlah itu meningkat 154,38 persen dari periode yang sama tahun 2021, yang hanya 226.170 lembar.
Senada dengan Yuli, Penjual Soto Ayam di Demak, Jawa Tengah, Sigiyartini mengaku, jika penggunaan QRIS memudahkan pembeli bertransaksi. Lebih dari itu, ia kini lebih lega karena tidak lagi tertipu karena uang palsu setelah menggunakan QRIS.
"Enak sekarang. Saya mikirnya, kenapa gak dari dulu. Gak ada lagi ngecak-ngecek uang ini palsu atau gak. Praktis, gak pusing harus cari receh untuk kembalian juga. Ya dulu pernah ketipu, sering juga terima uang palsu, karena bentuknya sudah dikenali," katanya, Sabtu (21/10/2023).
Sugiyartini sudah menggunakan QRIS sejak empat bulan terakhir. Ia memberanikan diri untuk berinovasi dengan menyediakan layanan QRIS di warung soto ayam, meski berlokasi di perdesaan. Ia tak memprediksi, jika penggunaan QRIS untuk usahanya justru meningkatkan omzet dan menambah pembeli baru.
"Ya biasanya pembeli di sini bayar cash-cash. Sekarang sudah ada QRIS di sini, banyak anak muda juga yang makan soto di sini. Mereka juga mudah dan enak bisa bayar tinggal scan, praktis. Kita juga pendapatan bertambah karena banyak pembeli-pembeli baru," aku perempuan yang sudah berjualan soto sejak tahun 2003.
Salah satu pelanggan, Anis merasa nyaman karena Sugiyartini kini menyediakan QRIS di warungnya.
"Sekarang kalau ke sini gak usah harus ke ATM dulu untuk ambil duit. Dari rumah ke sini saja, pakai apps atau mobile banking langsung scan QRIS," ujarnya.
“Kalau (wisatawan) yang dari Thailand dan Malaysia sudah bisa langsung pakai QRIS.”
Pelaku UMKM di sekitar kawasan Candi Borobudur, Kabupaten Magelang ikut merasakan dampak positif dari pemanfaatan QRIS. Salah satunya adalah UMKM Cokelat Borobudur.
Sang pemilik, Aster Christy mengaku, transaksi penjualannya meningkat sejak menggunakan QRIS. Bahkan, kebijakan baru soal QRIS Cross Border (antarnegara) ikut memudahkan transaksi bagi wisatawan asal Thailand dan Malaysia, sehingga tidak jarang dari mereka justru ketagihan membeli produknya lebih banyak. Apalagi, tempat usahanya berada dalam kawasan destinasi wisata unggulan Indonesia.
"Adopsi QRIS memberikan kemudahan dan kenyamanan transaksi, khususnya bagi pembeli, juga wisatawan (baik dalam maupun luar negeri) yang kehabisan uang tunai (cash) dan generasi muda yang cenderung cashless. Kalau (wisatawan) yang dari Thailand dan Malaysia sudah bisa langsung pakai QRIS. Kebanyakan ketagihan karena bisa QRIS," ucapnya sembari tersenyum.
Christy meyakini jika peningkatan pendapatan usahanya terjadi lantaran makin banyaknya pembeli yang memakai QRIS untuk bertransaksi.
Pasalnya, QRIS kini tidak lagi menjadi alternatif pembayaran melainkan sudah menjadi kebutuhan.
"Pencatatan transaksi penjualan tercatat dan dapat dipantau secara mudah," tandasnya.
Manfaat serupa dirasakan juga oleh Lyna Windiarti, pemilik UMKM Double Eight Craft di Semarang. Usahanya yang fokus memproduksi kerajinan tangan berbahan limbah perca berkembang dan meningkat setelah menggunakan QRIS.
Meski gaptek, ia tidak malu belajar dan mengikuti perkembangan teknologi industri keuangan dan transaksi.
"Wah saya ini kolonial (tidak lagi millennial), gak mudeng teknologi. Saya minta tolong anak untuk ngajari (red: mengajari) saya. Ya pelan-pelan bisa. Karena usaha di era saat ini juga harus juga mengikuti perkembangan zaman. Kalau tidak, ya akan susah. Alhamdulillah, QRIS meskipun itu dianggap hal simpel, tapi pengaruhnya lumayan untuk penjualan, apalagi saat pameran," kata perempuan 47 tahun itu.
Lyna mengaku keberadaan QRIS berdampak pada pengelolaan keuangan diri dan usahanya, selain kemudahan transaksi untuk para pelanggannya. Baginya, setiap transaksi melalui QRIS, pencatatan keuangannya bisa dilakukan secara otomatis sehingga memudahkan dalam pemantauan dan pengelolaan keuangan.
"Kalau pembayaran via QRIS uang langsung masuk ke tabungan bank. Pengelolaan keuangan mudah dan terkontrol. Dulu, sebelum pakai QRIS. Tangan selalu gatal kalau pegang uang banyak. Penginnya ke sana, kemari, jajan, pokoknya gak terkontrol juga uangnya dan cash flow usaha," kata Lyna yang sudah merintis usaha tersebut sejak 2017.
Kebermanfaatan QRIS merupakan buah dari penguatan kebijakan makroprudensial akomodatif, hasil sinergi kebijakan Komite Stabilitas Sistem Keuangan (KSSK). Komite tersebut terdiri dari Menteri Keuangan, Gubernur BI, Ketua Dewan Komisioner OJK, dan Ketua Dewan Komisioner LPS.
Kebijakan-kebijakan KSSK bertujuan untuk mendorong pertumbuhan kredit/pembiayaan kepada sektor prioritas dan pembiayaan inklusif untuk mengatasi scarring effect. Dengan begitu, mampu menstimulasi pemulihan pertumbuhan ekonomi (PEN) dengan tetap menjaga Stabilitas Sistem Keuangan.
QRIS ikut mendorong inklusi ekonomi dan keuangan dengan memperkuat peran UMKM. Kisah Yuli hingga Lyna menjadi bukti bahwa QRIS ramah bagi perempuan dan berhasil meningkatkan literasi keuangan mereka. Hal itu sejalan dengan Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (SDGs) nomor lima, dalam mencapai kesetaraan gender dan memberdayakan semua perempuan dan anak perempuan.