City still dithering over garbage problem
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta administration's incompetence in waste management has back-fired on the administration following the decision of Bekasi municipality to close Bantar Gebang, Jakarta's principal garbage dump, prior to the expiry of the agreement between the two cities in 2003.
The Jakarta administration seems to be lack commitment in dealing with its garbage, as shown by the city's inconsistency over the Bantar Gebang dump, which is located in Bekasi, says Gempur Adnan, the director of the Hazardous and Toxic Waste Department at the Environmental Impact Control Agency (Bapedal).
Moreover, the selection of the sanitary landfill system, which does not suit the conditions in Jakarta, is not a long-term solution for the management of the city's garbage, especially when it is not carried out in accordance with the system's requirements.
"Jakarta doesn't have enough land to hold the waste it produces, nor the discipline and equipment required for the sanitary landfill system," Gempur said on Thursday.
About 23,000 cubic meters of the more than 25,000 cubic meters of household waste that is transported daily to Bantar Gebang is supposed to be dealt with using the sanitary landfill system, but in reality the garbage is just dumped in the open, causing health problems and environmental damage in the surrounding areas.
Following the planned closure of Bantar Gebang, Jakarta has mentioned a number of other sites where it may temporarily dump its garbage, including Tegal Alur in West Jakarta. The city is also to rent a dump site at Jonggol, Bogor, for which the administration will have to pay Rp 30 billion per year for the 40 hectares of land that are due to be ready in March.
Aside from lacking the land for a dump, the administration also lack the necessary equipment, such as garbage trucks, to transport the waste to the dump, as well as committed professionals who are trained in waste management.
"The resources provided and treatment methods are primitive, very unsuitable for a major city such as Jakarta. The condition of the garbage trucks, for example -- too old and poorly maintained" Gempur commented.
The city's sanitation agency operates around 900 trucks, while ideally there should be 1,300 trucks to transport the city's trash.
A budget allocation for the purchase of 50 garbage trucks this year was canceled and the funds instead went on buying official cars for city council members.
The use of incinerators, Gempur asserted, was much more efficient in eliminating garbage in large cities, although he acknowledged that the investment and the maintenance involved were costly.
"But why not? (invest in incinerators). It's worth it for the sake of the public's health and the environment," Gempur said.
An incinerator costs in the region of Rp 250 million, and the administration is planning to purchase 10 more in the near future.
The city's Sanitation Agency currently has five incinerators located in Sunter, North Jakarta and Rawamangun in East Jakarta, with the capacity to burn three cubic meters of garbage per hour.
As the administration has always cited lack of funds to properly manage the city's garbage, Gempur suggested that waste management be privatized.