Garbage still a problem, investors uninterested<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Waste management in Jakarta is likely to remain a serious problem
\nas investors are not really interested in the waste-treatment
\nproject and the city administration cannot afford to finance it.<\/p>\n
"Waste-treatment programs are costly but are not moneymakers.
\nMany investors reconsider committing themselves to such
\nprojects," assistant to the City Secretary for Development
\nAffairs, IGKG Suena, said recently.<\/p>\n
Nine companies had signed memorandums of understanding (MOU)
\nwith the administration in 2002 and 2003 but so far they had not
\nacted on the MOUs.<\/p>\n
"They claimed that they were broke and proposed that other
\ncompanies finance the project. We don't want that to happen. Any
\nnew investors would affect the existing agreements," Suena said.<\/p>\n
The nine companies had submitted proposals on different
\nwaste-treatment technologies from bale-press German technology to
\nbio-fertilizer technology. However, to date, only PT Wira
\nGulfindo Sarana has constructed a waste-treatment facility in
\nBojong, Bogor regency, as an alternative. The facility has
\nundergone a trial period despite strong opposition from locals,
\nwho fear that it might cause environmental damage and endanger
\ntheir health.<\/p>\n
According to Suena, the number of private companies bidding
\nfor the waste-treatment project was the result of the
\nadministration's policy -- with approval from the City Council --
\nto encourage wider public participation in waste management and
\nminimize the city's spending.<\/p>\n
"It would be simpler if the city changed the policy by
\nprocuring a waste-treatment facility regardless of the
\nsubstantial funds which would be taken from the city budget. Too
\nbad, the city has not yet done so," he said.<\/p>\n
Suena estimated that the city must spend Rp 1 trillion
\n(US$116.3 million) to set up a high-technology waste-treatment
\nfacility to manage the city's 6,000 tons of daily waste.<\/p>\n
He claimed a bank from Spain had offered the administration
\nlast Friday a soft loan of US$200 million to build a
\nwaste-treatment facility.<\/p>\n
"The figure is enough to finance the project. We can't take
\nit, however, because the central government is the one who makes
\nthat decision."<\/p>\n
Jakarta has suffered several waste crises, with the latest at
\nthe end of last year, when a contract with Bekasi municipality on
\nthe use of Bantar Gebang dump ended. Bekasi agreed that Jakarta
\ncould continue to use the dump but the municipality
\nadministration and the council continued to disagree on other
\nissues.<\/p>\n
Locals around Bantar Gebang have repeatedly demanded that
\nBekasi administration close down the dump due to the significant
\npollution it causes, which they say endangers their health.<\/p>\n
Complaints of pollution were also voiced by residents of
\nCilincing, North Jakarta, earlier this year when the
\nadministration used open land there as a temporary dump.<\/p>\n
Environmentalists have urged the administration to replace the
\nexisting landfill system with one that is environmentally
\nfriendly and uses high technology.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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