30 Manggala Agni Personnel Deployed to Tackle Jatiwaringin Landfill Fire

A total of 30 Manggala Agni personnel from the Ministry of Forestry are being deployed to reinforce firefighting efforts at the Jatiwaringin landfill in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, Banten. The Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Environment, Rizal Irawan, stated that the deployment aims to accelerate the handling of the fire, which has been burning for three days. “Yesterday after I contacted them, the Minister of Environment also contacted the Minister of Forestry, and they will deploy around 30 firefighters from Manggala Agni,” Rizal said at the Jatiwaringin landfill on Thursday (2/7). According to Rizal, the involvement of Manggala Agni is crucial because the characteristics of a landfill fire differ from ordinary fires. The fire is not only burning on the surface but also within the waste piles, which reach heights of 20 to 30 metres. Rizal said the deployed personnel come from various regional Climate Change and Forest and Land Fire Control Centres, such as Makassar, Palembang, and West Java. “They will bring equipment for injection, high-pressure injection. Because we are trying to extinguish the fire that is beneath the surface,” he said. Rizal added that firefighting efforts are currently being carried out through two methods: ground operations by firefighters and aerial water bombing using helicopters. “Water bombing may only extinguish the fire on the surface. But we know that this situation will be treated similarly to peatland fires, where we cannot focus only on the surface but must also address what is underneath. Therefore, the equipment owned by Manggala Agni is needed,” he stated. Access to the Jatiwaringin landfill has been restricted. A joint task force imposed access restrictions to the Jatiwaringin landfill in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Thursday afternoon. The restrictions were implemented due to air quality conditions around the site reaching hazardous levels as a result of the fire smoke. The fire at the Jatiwaringin landfill has been ongoing since Tuesday (30/6) and has entered its third day. Thick smoke blanketing the surrounding area has caused a significant decline in air quality. Monitoring results showed that the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) reached 1,000, far exceeding the air quality standard of 55. Meanwhile, PM10 levels were recorded at 750, approximately ten times the safe threshold of 75. Observations at the location indicated that the cordon was enforced on Thursday afternoon. Officers prohibited members of the public without essential business from entering the area around the landfill. The restriction was applied from two directions. The road towards Sukadiri District was closed approximately 500 metres from the landfill site, while access towards Rajeg District was restricted to a radius of about 200 metres. Several motorists attempting to pass through without specific purposes were asked to turn back by officers. Access remained open for fire engines, medical personnel, police officers, and other officials involved in handling the fire. Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Environment, Rizal Irawan, said the access restriction was implemented to protect the public from exposure to smoke that could potentially endanger their health. Meanwhile, firefighting efforts are ongoing. Firefighters are battling the flames at several points in the waste piles, assisted by helicopter water bombing to reach hotspots that are difficult to access by land. “Currently, we are focusing on extinguishing the fire. Afterwards, we will conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire,” he said.