Scavengers protest burning of garbage<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Seventy-five scavengers of the Bantar Gebang
\ngarbage dump in Bekasi staged a demonstration at City Hall on
\nMonday protesting the city's decision to burn garbage instead of
\ndumping it at the site.<\/p>\n
Holding banners saying \"Pay attention to scavengers' fates\",
\n\"We are financially broke because of garbage burning\" and \"Mr.
\nGovernor, help us\", they complained that the garbage burning
\npolicy had cut their daily incomes 50 percent.<\/p>\n
\"For instance, I was able to earn Rp 10,000 per day last year.
\nBut just earning Rp 5,000 is so difficult today,\" Radi, 27, one
\nof the scavengers, said.<\/p>\n
\"I hope the administration will continue to dump garbage at
\nthe dump site,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The 250-hectare Bantar Gebang garbage dump is the home of
\n25,000 scavengers.<\/p>\n
The scavengers' representatives were received by Raya Siahaan
\nof the city's Data Center for Social Disturbance Unit.<\/p>\n
The mayoralty of Central Jakarta started burning its trash
\nlast month and the city's four other mayoralties are planning to
\nbegin the practice in the future.<\/p>\n
\"We have no more source of income if all the rubbish is
\nburned. What kind of other earnings can we get then?\" Radi asked.<\/p>\n
Takim, one of the six representatives received by Siahaan,
\nhowever, said the administration would not change its rubbish
\nburning policy because it was more efficient than sending trash
\nto the dump site.<\/p>\n
\"By burning the garbage, the administration does not need to
\npay for transportation costs to Bantar Gebang,\" Takim quoted
\nSiahaan as saying.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta Mayor Andi Subur Abdullah said that up to now,
\nthe mayoralty had 10 garbage burning sites which could burn three
\ncubic meters of garbage per hour.<\/p>\n
Andi said the scavengers should not worry because the
\nfacilities could burn only a fraction of Central Jakarta's
\ngarbage which totals 5,200 cubic meters per day.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso said Monday that he would look into the case
\nto see whether the city had improperly handled the issue.<\/p>\n
He said his office would not ignore the scavengers' welfare.<\/p>\n
\"If they should have to move from the garbage site because of
\nimproved garbage handling, we will try to provide them with other
\nwork opportunities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Radi said the scavengers' situation was worsened by rubbish
\nselling by garbage truck drivers before reaching the dump site.<\/p>\n
Saksono Soehodo of the city's Sanitation Agency, however, said
\nthere were no parties who took away opportunities for scavengers
\nto claim garbage.<\/p>\n
He claimed that the scavengers competed for the garbage among
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
\"It's just a competition among themselves. There's no outside
\nparty,\" said Saksono.<\/p>\n
He said some of the scavengers did not want to collect garbage
\non the site together with other scavengers, so they stopped
\ntrucks before they entered the site.<\/p>\n
He said the competition had brought nothing but problems to
\nhis office.<\/p>\n
\"The dumping of garbage on the street outside the site created
\nmore problems. The garbage piling up on the street causes bad
\nodors and poor sanitation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The head of the City Sanitation Agency, Subasir, said that
\nmore equipment, including trucks, were still needed to handle the
\ncity's refuse.<\/p>\n
At least 600 more trucks are still needed to pick up garbage
\nfrom various areas in the city to dump at the garbage site.<\/p>\n
\"We now have a total of 806 trucks,\" said Subasir. (ind\/cst)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/scavengers-protest-burning-of-garbage-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }