SLUM AREA and HOUSING PROBLEM in BATAM

Batam is located at Malacca Strait, near Singapore. Batam is an industrial city which has been built since 70s by Indonesian government. As an implication of industrial growth, there are one million people who lived at this city. Unfortunely, the economic and industrial growth were not followed by infrastructure. Not only lack of infrastructure, but also lack of housing development. We can find slum area all around this city, especially near industrial or trade area. People who lived at this slum area, must life without electrical and fresh water installation.

There are several reason, why some of Batam residence prefer to live at illegal settlement area. Most of Batam residence is a labour of industrial area. According to the local government regulation, average salary of them is around one million rupiah. So, with an income one million rupiah, they cannot pay the housing cost above three hundred thousand rupiah. While, the houses at slum area are cheap. It was built by cheap material, such as tripleks. They also prefer to live near their fabrics to cut off the transportation cost.

To solve this problem, local government of Batam had been building several flats for labour. Flats for labour were built near several industrial area, such as Muka Kuning, Tanjung Uncang, Batu Ampar '" Jodoh, Kabil and Sekupang.

Unfortunely, this policy didn't solve all of housing problem in Batam. Not all inhabitant of slum area were willingly to move. They are trying to get financial profit from the government. Usually they just move to another area which is not an area for housing. They refuse to move to the government mansion. In the future, they will demand a lot of money, when the government relocate them again.

Live in the flat is not popular among Indonesian people. In Indonesian culture, house must be build on the land. While, live in the flat seems like live in the cricket nest. There are another reason, why live in the flat isn't popular. In Batam, there is no regulation to guarantee property right among inhabitant of flat.

Usually, the flat had been built in the area without proper infrastructure, such as mass transportation network, electrical and fresh water installation. Live in the area with mass transportation network is important to the workers. This problem is caused by lacking coordination among departments of local government. Another difficulty is limited fund of the government.

Of course, the government must be helped by third party. But, build a flat for workers in Batam is not interesting to the third party. This project was not profitable enough to the third party.

Government of Indonesia, especially in Batam must learn from another country how to solve this problem such as about regulation and how to promote that live in the mansion is pleasant.