Dump mismanagement 'responsible for disaster'

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Mismanagement at the Leuwigajah dump in south Cimahi was to blame for the collapse of mountains of garbage on Monday, which killed over 55 people and flattened 70 homes, with 101 people still unaccounted for, an official says.

West Java Environmental Impact Management Agency Director Ade Suhanda said on Wednesday that the chief executives of the Bandung and Cimahi municipal, and Bandung regency, administrations all bore responsibility for the disaster.

He said his office has formed a team to investigate the cause of the disaster, but initial observations showed the 25.1-hectare dump had not been managed in accordance with the original plan.

For instance, he said, the dump, which consists of 17 hectares that accommodates around 5,000 tons of garbage from the seven million residents of the three administrations every day, had been in use since Feb. 12, 1989, not since 1992 as claimed by the Cimahi municipal administration.

"Moreover, the dump was supposed to have used an integrated sanitary landfill system operated by the three administrations. However, this did not work and it was then replaced by surface dumping, which caused a rapid accumulation of garbage," Ade said.

To compound the problem, the way in which the trash was dumped did nothing to reduce the dangers posed by the mountains of garbage.

For instance, he said, vents should have been dug at the bases of the garbage mountains to permit the escape of the methane gas produced by the rotting trash.

Moreover, he said, the dump should have had equipment to record precipitation so as to provide an early warning of the possibility of collapses. The garbage mountains should also have been separated from surrounding residential areas by sturdy walls.

"When we checked, we found there was only one vent to allow the hazardous methane gas, which is highly explosive, to escape, and the equipment to record precipitation had gone missing. That's what led to this explosion, which deposited garbage up to a kilometer away and buried at least 60 houses," Ade said.

West Java Governor Danny Setiawan also said there had been inadequate supervision at the site. "There should have been a special unit to manage the dump in an integrated manner, from the foul-smelling waste-water runoff to the dangerous gases," he said.

As of Wednesday, 55 bodies had been recovered from the disaster scene, while 101 people were still counted as missing as rescuers continued sifting through shattered homes and under the debris.

Head of East Batujajar village, Syaeful Bachri, said on Wednesday that the missing victims could be presumed dead as the "families of the missing people have confirmed that their missing relatives had not been staying in other areas".

Worried by the possibility of fresh collapses, a group of victims in Cilimus and Cireundeu villages said they wanted to bring a class action.

A resident, 27-year-old Tatang, said he and a number of other residents were determined to sue those responsible for running the dump.

"This is not fair. We have to suffer because the garbage produced by millions of other people is being dumped here. We have long had to put up with the foul-smelling air we have to breathe and contaminated wells. Now, it seems we also have to sacrifice our lives for them, too," he said.

However, the plan was still tentative as many displaced victims were still living with relatives while some 60 of them were taking shelter in the Batujajar II elementary school. The school itself lost 41 of its 415 students.

The class action plan has been supported by several non- governmental organizations active in the environment field. One of them, the Sundanese Forestry and Environment Observers Council, which counts former West Java governor Solihin GP as one of its members, offered to hire lawyers to support the residents.

Meanwhile, West Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Muryan Faisal said on Wednesday the police could not start an investigation into the case until they received a complaint from affected residents. "But, so far no one has reported the case to us, so we can only wait," Muryan said.

Governor Danny Setiawan said he would be ready to assist the Bandung and Cimahi mayors, and the regent of Bandung, if they were sued. "Go ahead, we're ready," he said shortly.