Ciputat people up to their ankles in trash

Ciputat people up to their ankles in trash

TANGERANG (JP): Residents of the Ciputat district lack
sufficient garbage dumps and have resorted to throwing their
garbage on the street.

The road parallel to the market, Jl. Dewi Sartika, is littered
with garbage on one side of the road. The official dump site is
full and officials admit that there are too few disposal sites.

Ciputat District Chief Wahidin Halim said the regency has
designated a plot in Serpong for the trash of Ciputat. However,
residents there have protested against further use of the plot.

In the meantime, there is no other alternative.

"The plot designated as the final dump site in Legok, 16
kilometers south of Ciputat, is not ready yet," said Wahidin.

Passersby are increasingly exposed to the stench of the
garbage on the streets, which is attracting swarms of flies
everyday.

The trash is worsening the surroundings already marked by
congestion, potholes, chaotic traffic and muddy streets, none of
which have signs against littering.

Wahidin said he and his officials have witnessed people on
foot or in cars throwing trash on the roadside. "It is not only
local traders and residents from the Ciputat district, but people
from other districts like Pamulang dump their garbage here," he
said.

"Not all housing areas manage their garbage well and they have
resorted to throwing trash on the road," he said.

Wahidin also said the district office regularly deploys three
trucks a day to pick up the garbage, far from the number
necessary.

He said the garbage problem is likely to get worse before it
gets better. We're going to need as many as 12 trucks to pick up
the 48 cubic meters of trash that pile up every day in and around
the market, he said.

"We have forwarded our request for more trucks to the
regency," he said, adding that the district's three trucks can
only make two trips a day to the dump site in Serpong because of
the bad traffic and steep roads that cause the trucks problems.

Abdul Latief, the district head in charge of public services
including sanitation, admitted that his office is struggling to
cope with the situation.

He said some of the 2,600 traders even pay more than the
official sanitation fee of Rp 200 (US 8 cents) to Rp 1,000 per
day to have the garbage removed. Others, however, don't pay at
all, he said.

"Some traders just vanish after operating in the evening to
avoid paying the sanitation fee in the morning," said Abdul.

In the end, the district collects only Rp 260,000 per day,
from which it must pay wages and meals for 40 employees and gas
for three trucks. Daily operational fees generally amount to Rp
275,000.

"We can't impose higher fees as that would violate rules,"
said Wahidin.

The officials also blame the volume of the trash on outside
traders. Most of the 2,600 market and street traders have come
after being driven out of South and East Jakarta by local
officials, Wahidin said.

"We can't drive them away because there's no where for them to
go." (anr)