Jakarta administration trashes Bekasi's demand for garbage treatment fee<\/p>\n
P.C. Naommy and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Bekasi<\/p>\n
The Jakarta administration has turned down Bekasi's offer to
\ntreat the capital's garbage in the Bantar Gebang dump at a rate
\nof Rp 85,000 (US$10) per ton of waste.<\/p>\n
Assistant to the city secretary for development affairs, Irzal
\nDjamal, said on Friday that the demand was not included in the
\nmemorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by representatives from
\nJakarta and Bekasi administrations on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
If Jakarta agrees to the offer, it must pay Bekasi up to Rp
\n186 billion per year. The figure is far from the planned
\ncompensation of Rp 25 billion, as proposed in Jakarta's 2004
\nbudget.<\/p>\n
The MOU only extends the use of the dump, which had expired on
\nDec. 31, and addresses general rulings on how to manage garbage
\nat Bantar Gebang.<\/p>\n
The ruling includes the establishment of a Bekasi city-owned
\ncompany to convert Jakarta's waste into compost. The company will
\ninvolve officials from Bekasi, Jakarta and the third party.<\/p>\n
However, City Hall spokesman, Muhayat, claimed that
\ncompensation and the company's establishment would be discussed
\nlater. He pointed out that the company would not be established
\nwithout Jakarta's approval.<\/p>\n
Muhayat said that Jakarta had actually prepared emergency
\ndumps in several areas in North Jakarta in anticipation of the
\npossibility that the capital's waste could not be dumped at
\nBantar Gebang. He declined to name the places.<\/p>\n
Bekasi will employ 500 residents living around Bantar Gebang
\ndump to produce compost.<\/p>\n
But head of the environmental division at the Bekasi
\nSanitation Agency, Dedi Juanda, said that the agency would need a
\nyear to prepare the processing facility.<\/p>\n
\"The construction of the processing facility will start this
\nmonth. For the time being, garbage dumped at Bantar Gebang will
\nbe processed using a landfill system, as has been used
\npreviously,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Sanitation Agency's head of garbage management
\ndivision, Amir Sagala, questioned Bekasi's seriousness and
\npreparations for the waste processing facility.<\/p>\n
No machines nor workers from Bekasi administration were seen
\nat the site, that was supposedly being prepared for compost
\nproduction.<\/p>\n
The decision to allow Jakarta to dump its 6,000 tons of daily
\nwaste apparently upset residents in Ciketing Udik, Cikiwul and
\nSumur Batu subdistricts. Opposing the decision, they blocked the
\nPangkalan Lime entrance to the dump, preventing Jakarta's garbage
\ntrucks from unloading trash there. The truck drivers had to
\nretreat and, as they had no other alternative, dumped the waste
\nat Rorotan temporary dump in Cilincing, North Jakarta, which has
\na capacity of only 2,000 tons.<\/p>\n
\"We don't believe in our administration anymore,\" said Onar, a
\nprominent figure of Ciketing Udik.<\/p>\n
He argued that the Bekasi administration had not been
\ntransparent in spending the compensation money from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We need proof of what the money is for,\" he argued.<\/p>\n
Residents of the three subdistricts demanded that the Bekasi
\nadministration disburse the money to the subdistrict office and
\nlet them manage the funds.<\/p>\n
Bekasi received a total of Rp 22 billion in compensation for
\n2002 and 2003. This year, the Jakarta administration has proposed
\nto compensate Bekasi Rp 25 billion.<\/p>\n
Another resident from Sumur Batu subdistrict, Darusalam, said
\nthat the people had sent letters to the Bekasi administration,
\noutlining their objections to the extension of the use of the
\ndump and demanding compensation for residents.<\/p>\n
Water from the dump has polluted water sources in the area.
\nResidents are therefore unable to use the ground water for
\ncooking and bathing. The Environment Community Union (ECU) had
\nrevealed its analysis that water taken from the wells of
\nresidents in the area contained coliform bacteria, cyanide,
\nchloride, cadmium, chrome, zinc and mercury, which are believed
\nto derive from the dump.<\/p>\n
The pollution has allegedly killed 10 hectares of rice crops
\nin Sumur Batu.<\/p>",
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