Banten Police Form Integrated Task Force to Anticipate Landfill Fires

Banten Regional Police Chief Inspector General Hengki said his office has formed an Integrated Task Force (Satgas Terpadu) to anticipate fires at final waste processing sites (TPA) during the dry season. Alert posts and fire brigade units will be prepared at the landfill areas.

Hengki said the Integrated Task Force consists of joint personnel from the National Police (Polri), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and regional governments. The task force will remain on standby so that potential fires at landfills can be quickly contained and prevented from spreading.

“The Integrated Task Force is currently being deployed in areas prone to fire points during the dry season, especially at existing landfills such as Jatiwaringin in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, as well as Bagendung and Cilowong in Serang City, and in Cilegon,” he said on Monday (3/8/2026).

The integrated posts will be staffed by fire brigade officers and other support personnel. The officers will be on standby 24 hours a day to provide a rapid response.

“We are preparing all the integrated posts, both the readiness of personnel and infrastructure, especially fire engines, ambulances and field kitchens. Everything is ready for use, ready to be deployed at any moment should a fire break out,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Acting Governor of Banten referred to the fire at the Jatiwaringin landfill as a valuable lesson. He expressed hope that the incident, in which a waste fire spread widely, will not recur.

“Based on the experience of the landfill fire one month ago and previous experiences during the hot season, final waste disposal sites have become one of the locations with the potential to trigger land fires,” he said.

“For that reason, the Regional Police Chief initiated the formation of an integrated task force stationed at each landfill to prevent and monitor the situation,” he added.

He also noted that the piles of waste at landfills are areas highly vulnerable to major fires, so these locations must be strictly guarded to ensure there are no sources of ignition.

“Why? Because landfills contain methane gas that has accumulated over many years, and this needs to be anticipated. There must be no sparks, no burning of waste and so on, and this requires joint coordination,” he said.