State power utility PLN not only has to contend with paying billions of rupiah in compensation to customers affected by Sunday’s widespread power outages in Banten, Jakarta and West Java, it may also have to deal with separate lawsuits for specific damages caused by the blackout, including this one over loss of fish life.
Today, two residents of South Jakarta are submitting a lawsuit against PLN claiming that their koi died during the lengthy power outage, during which time the delicate fish were deprived of oxygen they would’ve otherwise received from pumps.
“We want PLN to compensate our clients for the loss of their koi,” legal representative David Tobing told Detik today.
David said he would file the lawsuit with the small claims court (SCC) of the South Jakarta District Court and that his clients were only seeking compensation for material loss.
One of the clients, a cadre of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) named Ariyo Bimmo, said three of his koi died after being deprived of air for more than six hours during the blackout. His koi measured 45-50 cm in length and around 2 kilograms in weight.
“To me, it’s not about the value of the rupiah. But I want this to be a lesson to PLN as a service provider. Don’t take this lightly. Only a few of my koi died, but what about those who lost more than I did?” he told Detik.
A common adult Japanese koi measuring 50 cm is valued at at least IDR500,000 (US$35) at most fish shops in Jakarta.
Dead koi appear to be a common grievance that resulted from the blackout. On Twitter, many lamented the loss of their precious fish during the power outage.
malam cari cangkul nyiapin kuburan buat korban @pln_123 koi yg saya pelihara selama 5-7 tahun en sudah mencapai 40-70 cm mati semua, selamat berenang ke sorga kawan pic.twitter.com/J4sddCOlV7
— JJ Rizal (@JJRizal) August 4, 2019
I looked for a shovel tonight to dig graves for PLN’s victims, the koi that I have kept for five to seven years and which had grown to around 40-70 cm are all dead. Swim to heaven, my friends.
https://twitter.com/icccxa/status/1158348262790684672
The saddest part is that most of those that died were the old and big ones. Koi that were selected and kept by my late father from when I was still in school.
Koi are a precious pet for many Indonesians. In one tweet, one user showed that, during the blackout, their father powered their koi pond’s pump using their car engine.
https://twitter.com/vouglen_/status/1158573015413583874
I’m here where there’s no power, no water, no phone coverage. But it looks like my dad doesn’t care about me. Koi 1, child 0.
The power outage occurred just before noon on Sunday and power was restored in most parts of the capital around 12 hours after that. During that time, there were numerous disruptions to public services, such as Jakarta’s electric-powered MRT, as well as sporadic disruptions in cell phone coverage. Residents flocked to and crowded many of the capital’s malls, which were among the few businesses that had back up generators and were able to operate normally.
A preliminary report by the police from their investigation into the blackout found that the power outage was triggered by tall trees coming into contact with power lines in Central Java, causing a crucial relay station to malfunction.
