DKI DLH Assures No Waste Dumping in Tanah Kusir Cemetery Canal

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Environmental Agency (DLH) has assured that there is no activity involving the dumping of waste into the Pesanggrahan River in the area of the Tanah Kusir Public Cemetery (TPU), South Jakarta, as seen in a viral video on the social media platform Threads. “The activity of transport vehicles (dump pickups) visible in the post is part of the official operations for handling waste in water bodies, not dumping into the river,” said the Head of the Water Body Waste Handling Unit (UPSBA) of DLH Jakarta, Dadang Cahya Rusdiana, in Jakarta on Thursday. He explained that based on field investigations, the location in question is an official temporary holding point or emplacement belonging to UPSBA in the Tanah Kusir TPU area, specifically in a designated block. Therefore, he stated that the activity shown in the circulating video demonstrates the official temporary holding process for waste from water bodies, and all operations at the site are well-controlled, with one heavy equipment unit stationed there and daily routine transport to the Perintis emplacement. “That point functions as a transit location for waste collected from rivers and reservoirs in the Pesanggrahan and Kebayoran Lama sub-districts,” said Dadang. Subsequently, he added, the waste is then transferred using small tipper trucks to the Perintis emplacement for further sorting by officers. According to Dadang, the circulating video was likely taken from a viewpoint level with the road, creating the perception that waste is being dumped into the river. “In reality, the activity is at a holding point managed by the Water Body Waste Handling Unit, and there is no dumping into water bodies,” Dadang stated. He further noted that the relatively narrow road access in the cemetery area also prevents the placement of waste containers at the site. Therefore, waste is temporarily placed in the area below the embankment as a holding point before being transported using vehicles more suitable for the field conditions, while remaining under strict control. Although located near the Pesanggrahan River, all activities are conducted in designated areas and ensured not to come into contact with the water body. “We assure that no waste enters the water body. The site is also used to collect tree trimming residues from Tanah Kusir TPU by the Parks and City Forestry Agency (Distamhut). The location is equipped with segregation using HDPE floating cubes, and all management processes are carried out in accordance with standard operating procedures,” Dadang revealed.