Robert Go, Jakarta – The majority of Jakarta's 151 traditional markets are firetraps and could suffer the same ill fate as the Tanah Abang textile centre, much of which went up in flames last month, city officials said.
These government-run markets are key outlets for small traders and millions of poor people, but as much as 60 per cent of them are housed in decades-old, poorly maintained and unsafe buildings.
The city lacks funds, so these complexes do not get adequate safety features such as hydrants, sprinklers, water pumps or designated fire escapes.
As more Indonesians are forced out of jobs during the country's continuing economic slump, the markets have taken more importance as venues for those who join the informal economy and eke out a living as small-time traders.
Overcrowding is the obvious result. Traders use every inch of available space and even spill out into the streets surrounding major market complexes.
They also mess around with the markets' ageing electric networks, often using simple, unsafe and exposed wiring to provide lighting for their stalls.
Refuse piles up as it is not collected regularly, adding to the risk factors on the list. After the four-day Tanah Abang blaze – which ate up 5,500 kiosks in a market that has an estimated yearly turnover of US$1.6 billion – Jakarta Fire Chief Johnny Pangaribuan said that his men had to fight against odds as they tried to put out the fire.
They encountered rusted-shut hydrants and waterless pumps. Hoses were finally run directly to a nearby river to give firemen some ammunition against the blaze. Traders and onlookers also had poor fire-fighting training.
Instead of clearing the way for the 200 mobilised firefighters, traders blocked passages as they tried to evacuate their goods, while huge crowds gathered outside to watch the inferno and billowing smoke.
The fire department has evaluated as many as 30 markets in recent weeks and the situation there, said Mr Johnny, is "distressingly similar" to that in Tanah Abang.
Mr Lihardin Sipayung, a public relations officer at PD Pasar Jaya, the government company that manages the markets, told reporters that many of the older market buildings are indeed "vulnerable to fire".
The newer buildings, however, are properly equipped and should be safe, he said.
The Tanah Abang complex has been hit twice before by large fires during the past three decades.
It is the second market in Jakarta to go up in flames this year after 500 traders lost their kiosks in the Senen market in January.
While officials can identify the problems but offer few solutions, government critics and advocates for the poor see the fire hazard within the markets as yet another sign of how Jakarta has poor city managers.
Ms Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor Consortium questioned how the city uses taxes collected from traders, parts of which are meant for maintenance and repair jobs on the market complexes.
She said: "So far, city officials seem to not care about how the poor live. This is yet another example of their failures. They are collecting quite a bit of money from traders, but spend little on proper maintenance. The government does not take responsibility when disasters like this happen."