Aquarium Village Starts Arranged In September

JAKARTA - The arrangement of the Kampung Akuarium, Penjaringan, North Jakarta will begin in September. This arrangement is a promise from DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan during the campaign period.

Regional Secretary of DKI Saefullah said that the arrangement for the Kampung Akuarium was planned to be completed in December 2021. Kampung Akuarium was the starting point for Anies to implement the slum village arrangement program in DKI.

This arrangement uses a community action plan (CAP) approach. CAP is a method of developing an area that involves community and community participation, such as the RUJAK Center for Urban Studies and the Urban Poor People's Network (JRMK).

"In Kampung Akuarium, the CAP activities were carried out in the 2018 Fiscal Year. Planning for the arrangement of the Kampung Akuarium involves the active role of the residents of Kampung Akuarium and the community," said Saefullah in his statement, Sunday, August 16.

Plt. Head of the Jakarta Public Housing and Settlement Service Office, Sarjoko, said that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government listens to the aspirations of residents, not only about proper housing, also being close to sources of livelihood, in order to keep the wheels of life going.

"This collaboration is to plan and formulate what the residents need, so that the development will really be as expected. The initial design also considers various things to create a proper and healthy shelter," said Sarjoko.

The arrangement of Kampung Akuarium has a vision as a marine tourism village. The composition of open and built land is 50 percent to 50 percent. There are also commercial places, public facilities & open spaces, and settlements.

The house will be made in a vertical shape like a flat. However, the 142 houses that are made vertically have a maximum of four floors, with a house type of 27 square meters.

Senior Community Architect Rujak Center for Urban Studies Amalia Nur said that her party advocates for citizen knowledge on creating a healthy environment in the arrangement of the Kampung Akuarium.

"There are many technical matters that must be known by residents. For example, there must be windows, there must be ventilation in the house, there must be a distance between buildings to provide a safe area in case of a disaster, so that they are not prone to fires, and all kinds," he said. Amalia.

"It needs a way of conveying anything from a technical language to an easier understanding language for everyday citizens," he added.

Previously, Kampung Akuarium was known as one of the slum areas on the north coast of Jakarta. This area was evicted by Basuki Tjahja Purnama alias Ahok when he was Governor of DKI Jakarta.

The reason was, Ahok wanted to build a sheetpile in the area, near the Baharai Museum and Fish Market. In addition, Ahok also had to build a dike to prevent seawater.

In April 2016, Ahok began to evict the area. However, in the process, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government discovered a Dutch heritage fortress. Seeing that, Ahok has the desire to restore this cultural heritage.

Ahok's initial plan, which wanted to rearrange the Kampung Akuarium area, was hampered by the discovery of the Dutch heritage fort. The project was neglected, even though some residents had been relocated to Marunda and Rawa Bebek flats.

However, residents returned after Anies Baswedan promised to rebuild a permanent house in Kampung Akuarium. This promise was made by the former minister of education during the 2017 DKI Jakarta Regional Election campaign.

January 2018, Anies fulfilled his promise by building three shelter blocks for the residents of Kampung Akuarium. The building was completed four months later.

The reason Anies built this project was because there were still many residents who survived even though their houses were only in ruins. The shelter being built has an area of 3.5x6.5 square meters and the walls are made of plywood.

After building the shelter, Anies continued by building a more permanent shelter under the slum management program. The housing arrangement in Kampung Akuarium is included in the Jakarta Provincial Government's Regional Budget (APBD) in 2020.

Regarding the existence of cultural heritage in the middle of residential areas, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has heard the opinions of residents and cultural heritage experts. The hope is that Kampung Akuarium will truly become a historical tourism area.