A breakthrough in waste?<\/p>\n
For the first time in the history of Greater Jakarta, the
\ncapital and its satellite cities -- Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and
\nBekasi -- have agreed to join hands in managing their waste.<\/p>\n
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on Tuesday
\nindicates the strong commitment of the seven municipal and
\nregental administrations toward managing the 10,000 tons of
\ngarbage produced daily by the 27 million Greater Jakarta
\nresidents.<\/p>\n
For Jakarta, finding and implementing an appropriate waste
\nmanagement technology for the 6,000 tons -- or 23,400 cubic
\nmeters -- of daily garbage is a necessity.<\/p>\n
Still fresh in our minds is the dispute between Jakarta and
\nBekasi over the Bantar Gebang dump. The Bekasi administration
\nrefused to extend Jakarta's contract to use the 108 hectare dump,
\nciting environmental damage caused by Jakarta's poor management.<\/p>\n
Under the MOU, a new pilot project is to commence in Depok
\nusing the landfill technology, similar to that being used at
\nBantar Gebang.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's haphazard development over the years, especially in
\nregards population growth and management, had turned several
\nareas along the borders of Bogor, Tangerang, Depok and Bekasi
\ninto buffer zones for the capital. The concept of establishing a
\nmore or less integrated territory embracing Jakarta, Bogor,
\nTangerang and Bekasi -- known as the local acronym Jabotabek --
\nwas thus introduced to synchronize development.<\/p>\n
However, the effort failed because each municipality had its
\nown interests to tend to, and a special agency, set up in the
\n1980s to manage and supervise Jabotabek's development, has never
\nbeen operational.<\/p>\n
For its part, the Jakarta Sanitation Agency has obviously been
\ninefficient and disorganized in handling the disposal of the
\ncity's household garbage. The inadequate fleet of garbage trucks
\nis an illustration of this incapability.<\/p>\n
Ideally, Jakarta needs at least 1,200 garbage trucks, but it
\nhas only 700 trucks, not all of them operable; and while the
\ncapital needs at least 30,000 people to manage its waste, the
\nsanitation agency has only about 15,000 employees.<\/p>\n
The city administration also demonstrated last year its vague
\nunderstanding of the importance of good sanitation services. Last
\nyear's budget set aside about Rp 214 billion (US$23.8 million)
\nfor the improvement of sanitation services, including the
\npurchase of new garbage trucks.<\/p>\n
No wonder that only about 60 percent of Jakarta's daily
\ngarbage can be processed, while the rest -- about 8,700 cu m --
\nis left to rot.<\/p>\n
Given these facts, and considering the difficulty of
\nintegrating the development of the Greater Jakarta area, the MOU
\nfor a joint waste management force offers a ray of hope.<\/p>\n
The new effort is funded by the World Bank through the Greater
\nJakarta Waste Management Corporation (JWMC), which is in charge
\nof financial management. The JWMC, in turn, falls under the
\nauspices of the West Java Environment Management Program (WJEMP).<\/p>\n
According to JWMC team leader Jim Straker, the corporation has
\nallocated $1.5 million for the establishment of the joint-
\nadministration cooperation, $1 million for consultation and
\nfacilitation, $300,000 for the landfill and composting pilot
\nproject and $200,000 for financing the joint secretariat.<\/p>\n
WJEMP Central Program Support Unit head Noeradhi Iskandar,
\nhowever, stressed that the Depok landfill should be implemented
\nand monitored properly to show residents that this simple
\ntechnology was efficient and clean.<\/p>\n
Once the MOU is realized, Jakarta may feel some relief from
\nits perennial headache caused by its waste issues.<\/p>\n
It remains up to the administration to see whether this new
\nplan will work -- and work in the long term. The public has had
\nenough of beautiful plans that end up just that -- beautiful
\nplans on paper. Financial accountability must also be monitored
\nstringently, or the World Bank loans may do a disappearing trick.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, however, the joint project will turn out to be a
\nworthy gift for Jakarta, which turns 477 this month.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-breakthrough-in-waste-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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