Day: December 17, 2021

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif has said that his administration will set up additional thermal cameras to monitor high temperatures at Mount Semeru.

“A thermal camera is installed for temperature screening at Besuk Kobokan. Hence, in the event of hot clouds, the temperature can be monitored,” Tasrif noted here on Friday.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry is committed to completing the Mount Semeru observation equipment to monitor the activity of Java’s highest mountain. The equipment comprised a thermal camera that could monitor hot spots, so the movements of hot clouds could be determined.

“Equipment at the Semeru Volcanic Observation Post in Mount Sawur is digital, yet the ones in Curah Kobokan are still analog, though it (still offers data) in real time. Thus, everything complies with standards,” he stated.

The four seismographs installed at the Curah Kobokan River, Supiturang Village, Pronojiwo Sub-district, and at Semeru Volcanic Observation Post on Mount Sawur, are considered sufficient to monitor the movement of flows descending from Mount Semeru.

“So far, there is still no equipment that can detect when a volcano will erupt, but one day, its activity will generate high vibrations. Sometimes, the mountain can hibernate for a long time and then suddenly erupt. Hence, this must be watched out for,” he reminded.

To this end, he deemed it necessary to map out disaster-prone areas and determine which areas the people should exit as a measure to protect the public from the Mount Semeru disaster.

“In the past, the affected area was in Curah Kobokan, or 11 kilometers from the summit, but now what happens is that hot clouds slide up to 16 kilometers, so five kilometers are exceeded due to the lava spill blocking the lava flow,” he elaborated.

He noted that Mount Semeru’s status had increased, from Level II to level III, so his side has urged that areas mapped in the red, or hazard zones, should also be considered, so that there is no community activity within a predetermined radius.

He informed that the increased activity of Mount Semeru on December 4, 2021, resulted in around eight million cubic meters of sand being dispersed and clogging the river. The lava that fell from the mountain could not pass through the river, which resulted in the lava spreading to residential areas.

Deputy Head of Lumajang, Indah Amperawati, noted that one thermal camera installed to monitor the mountain’s activity was considered to be insufficient. Thus, her administration urged the ministry to install more thermal cameras.

“I call for additional thermal cameras and other tools to be installed to monitor the activities of Mount Semeru,” she emphasized.

Source: Antara News

Waiving the placement fee for Indonesian migrant workers could help prevent their trafficking, deputy chairman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), Olivia Chadidjah Salampessy, has said.

“The effort to waive Indonesian migrant workers’ placement cost is (aimed) to protect them from the debt trap, violence, exploitation, and human trafficking,” she noted at an online discussion entitled ‘Welcoming International Migrants Day’ here on Friday.

Waiving the placement fee for Indonesian migrant workers would include eliminating the cost for passport creation, social insurance, obtaining a health clarification letter, and a psychological examination, she said.

The cost of legalization of the work contract, work visa, Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement Company’s (P3MI) services, accommodation, and obtaining a police record clarification letter also needs to be waived, she added.

“So that we could erase the practice of human trafficking, violence, and exploitation carried out by job providers because of the cost burden,” Salampessy affirmed.

Law No. 18 of 2017 on Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection seeks to protect and advance the rights of Indonesian migrant workers, including zero placement cost, she explained.

“It is stipulated in Article 30 paragraph (2), which states that Indonesian migrant workers do not bear the burden of placement costs,” she highlighted.

Komnas Perempuan held a public discussion in response to the weakening fulfillment of women’s Constitutional and human rights, especially of women migrant workers, she added.

This was done to make the public aware of the effort to waive the placement cost for Indonesian migrant workers, she said.

Salampessy also asserted that the issue concerning migrant workers is a priority issue that will get Komnas Perempuan’s attention during the 2020–2024 period.

At the same event, Komnas Perempuan commissioner Satyawanti Mashudi said that the commission recorded over 816 cases of human trafficking and 699 women migrant cases in the 2017–2020 period.

Source: Antara News

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has encouraged the utilization of various Indonesian marine biota to be used as raw materials for the biopharmaceutical industry.

Acting Head of the ministry’s Research and Human Resources Agency Kusdiantoro stated in a press release here on Friday that Indonesia is known as an archipelagic country, with mega marine biodiversity, as there are over 8,500 species of marine biota in the country. “The diversity of biological resources has a potential to be developed into raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry, functional food, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics,” he remarked.

Hence, he noted that the utilization of resources must continue to be developed, so Indonesia can become an independent country in providing raw marine biota materials for the pharmaceuticals industry.

Kusdiantoro assessed that development of the biopharmacology industry has become one of the strategic marine issues.

Hence, the agency acting head stated that Indonesia must set a target to clock achievements in the development of marine biopharmacology by 2045 to meet the people’s demand and prevent new diseases.

Kusdiantoro noted that one of Indonesia’s marine biological resources had been raised to become one of the potential solutions to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The abundant wealth of marine biological resources is expected to become a solution in providing medicines. However, long and expensive preclinical and clinical trials must be conducted to get safe and effective medicine,” he remarked.

Thus, he stated that developing biopharmacology was both a challenge and opportunity, especially for researchers.

In addition, processing marine biota as biopharmaceutical industry products can also offer an added value, thereby increasing their economic value.

“For instance, exported fresh seaweed only had an economic value of $1,168 per ton. However, if we isolate its dye, the economic value will increase significantly to become $13,372 per ton. It is 13 times the initial value,” he stated.

Seaweed is one of the priority commodities whose production will be increased by the ministry during the 2021-2024 period along with shrimp, lobster, and crab.

It has also been one of the leading export commodities, as its export value reached $236 million dollars during the period from January to September 2021.

Source: Antara News