Sanitasi program plagued by problems<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city's sanitation program is hindered by
\nmany problems, mainly the limited availability of garbage trucks,
\nlarge-scale waste dumps and the imbalance between the rising
\nnumber of new housing complexes with good waste disposal
\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
M. Subasir, head of the City Sanitation Office, told reporters
\non Thursday that his office currently is operating only 729
\ngarbage trucks, far below the ideal fleet of about 1,300.<\/p>\n
Due to the limited availability of garbage trucks not all
\nrubbish can be transported to waste dumps, Subasir said.<\/p>\n
Out of the 25,404 cubic meters of waste piling up throughout
\nthe city each day, only 21,085 cubic meters can be handled by the
\noffice, with the remainder being thrown into gutters, rivers or
\nvacant lots.<\/p>\n
\"The city has only one large-scale waste dump, which is
\nlocated in Bekasi,\" he said, adding that the facility covering
\n108-hectares has been in use since 1989.<\/p>\n
Another large-scale waste dump will be built in Tangerang in a
\nbid to accommodate the rising quantity of garbage thrown away by
\nresidents of the city, which has a population of about nine
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
Subasir expressed concern over the reluctance of the
\ndevelopers of new housing estates to provide adequate waste dumps
\nin their project areas.<\/p>\n
\"The lack of such facilities has given more burdens to the
\nCity Sanitation Office,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Assistant for City Secretary Prawoto S. Danoemihardjo said
\nthat the subsidy incurred from the city budget to finance garbage
\ncollection reaches about Rp 63 billion annually.<\/p>\n
Sanitation fees collected from the public amounts to only Rp 8
\nbillion per annum, he said. The low amount collected is
\napparently caused by either the poor channel of collection from
\nthe city administration or the lack of awareness on the part of
\nthe public about the importance of paying garbage fees.<\/p>\n
\"The public's contribution is very small compared to the fund
\nprovided by the city administration for the sanitation program,\"
\nPrawoto said.<\/p>\n
Subasir said that in a bid to improve garbage collection, his
\noffice will implement a number of plans, including the
\nimprovement of personnel skills, dissemination of information to
\nthe public about the importance of sanitation and the launching
\nof sanitation linked with regreening activities.<\/p>\n
Despite the limited availability of funds, the Sanitation
\nOffice is also striving to improve the condition of existing
\ngarbage trucks, inviting other related institutions to jointly
\nhandle sanitation services and intensifying the existing cleaning
\nup programs along rivers and slum areas. (yns\/hhr)<\/p>",
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