Scattering litter, mirror of the administration's ineptitude<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The closure of Bantar Gebang, the city's garbage dump, is the
\ndire result of the city administration's incompetence in handling
\nJakarta's waste problems.<\/p>\n
Residents in Bekasi, where Bantar Gebang is located, have
\ndemanded the site's closure due to the health and environmental
\nproblems it has caused.<\/p>\n
The administration's Sanitation Agency was supposed to manage
\nthe garbage with a sanitary landfill system, but in reality,
\nthousands of cubic meters of trash were simply piled up in an
\nopen area at the 104-hectare dump site.<\/p>\n
As a result, no less than 1,352 local people have contracted
\ndiarrhea while 6,757 others have endured respiratory problems
\nover the past several years. Not to mention the skin diseases and
\ndigestive problems that have featured prominently in complaints
\nfrom residents living around the dump area.<\/p>\n
The ground water in the surrounding area is heavily polluted
\nwith refuse contamination, as well as bacteria that causes a
\nnumber of ailments.<\/p>\n
The garbage issue has never been dealt with properly and no
\nlong-term solution to the problem exists, despite Jakarta's
\nresidents producing at least 25,650 cubic meters of household
\ngarbage every day.<\/p>\n
The current dumping system, according to environmental experts
\nat the Environmental Impact Control Agency (BAPEDAL), is not
\nsuitable for metropolitan city waste management, especially as
\nthe city administration lacks the commitment and discipline -- as
\nit easily resorts to open dumping -- trained staff and enough
\nland to implement the system.<\/p>\n
Since current dumping methods may be suitable for temporary
\nmeasures only, the agency suggested that the city adopt garbage
\nmanagement practices of other Asian metropolitan cities, such as
\ninvesting in incinerators.<\/p>\n
To have incinerators work effectively, however, the organic
\nand the inorganic waste must be properly separated; yet another
\nweakness in the garbage processing chain.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the city administration has pleaded with the lack
\nof funds to properly handle the matter despite the fact that it
\nset aside only Rp 90 billion for garbage handling this year.<\/p>\n
The 600 old and poorly maintained garbage trucks in operation
\ncannot deal with the total trash volumes.<\/p>\n
The problem could partly be solved if the city councillors had
\nthe morals and sense of crisis to reject the executives' offer to
\nbuy them brand new cars -- paid for with funds from the city's
\nbudget that was initially allocated to buy eight garbage trucks.<\/p>\n
Also, truck drivers would rather pick up garbage in wealthy
\nhousing areas where they get bigger tips.<\/p>\n
Therefore, paying the sanitary fee does not necessarily help
\nsolve one's domestic garbage problems.<\/p>\n
Slum dwellers, with their inadequate knowledge and attitude
\ntoward waste management, simply dump their trash into rivers and
\ndrains, worsening Jakarta's flooding problems.<\/p>\n
Public campaigns of proper garbage handling is scarce and most
\nJakartans remain in the dark in terms of the correct handling of
\ndomestic waste, let alone environmental awareness.<\/p>\n
Even though residents' participation is important in
\nestablishing a clean environment, garbage management is indeed
\nthe city administration's responsibility.<\/p>\n
Yet the administration does not seem to have learned anything,
\nand instead of establishing a comprehensive strategy to tackle
\nthe waste problem, they scout in panic for lands, mostly on the
\noutskirts of the capital, to dump trash.<\/p>\n
And to replace Bantar Gebang, authorities eyed a 20-hectare
\nplot in Bojong village in Bogor, West Java, persisting with the
\n'landfill system' which often got mistaken for open dumping.<\/p>\n
However, Bogor residents challenged the plan, refusing to let
\ntheir area become the home of Jakarta's garbage.<\/p>\n
Other locations mentioned by the governor are the Kamal Muara
\nand Cacing (Cakung-Cilincing) areas in North Jakarta, Tegal Alur
\nand Kapuk in West Jakarta, as well as Pulo Gebang in East
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
A few days before Bantar Gebang was closed, only the Cakung-
\nCilincing dump was prepared to accept a limited portion of
\ngarbage. Officials at Kapuk sub-district in West Jakarta said
\nthat they were unaware of the plan, while Tegal Alur residents
\nsaid their area would never be used as a dump site.<\/p>\n
The site at Pulo Gebang is also surrounded by residential
\ncomplexes, but as the city administration is becoming more
\ndesperate, any land will do.<\/p>\n
Only after experiencing the Bantar Gebang fiasco, the city
\nagency is considering buying 10 new incinerators to add to its
\ncurrent five.<\/p>\n
Maintaining a clean environment could be costly. Establishing
\npublic awareness and knowledge on managing trash, for example,
\nwould require a great deal of funding. It is, however, badly
\nneeded as relying solely on the agency in charge is often
\ndisappointing.<\/p>\n
For the Sanitation Agency to equip themselves with proper
\ntools and capable staff, is also a matter of funding.<\/p>\n
But if the matter is considered as an urgent priority by the
\nthose in charge, it is not impossible to manage Jakarta's garbage
\nand begin establishing a clean, comfortable city.<\/p>\n
Therefore, city hall decision makers must put aside personal
\ninterests and be committed and serious in providing residents
\nwith excellent public services to restore the polluted and
\ndestroyed environmental conditions in the city.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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