E. Java hopes to build fertilizer plant

SURABAYA: The local administration has asked people living near the Keputih dump in Sukolilo district to approve the construction of a fertilizer plant in the area.

Speaking during a discussion broadcast by state radio RRI, the head of the mayoralty's sanitation agency, Ismanu, told residents that if the project went ahead it would solve the long-standing problem of what to do with all the garbage generated by the dump.

He said an Australian investor had expressed interest in building the fertilizer plant, which would use tons of garbage dumped at Keputih as raw material.

"We want the residents to consider the plan, because the factory would utilize the piles of garbage and we would no longer have to operate the dump site," Ismanu said.

He added that the project would not cost the mayoralty administration any money. Instead, it would receive fees from the fertilizer plant, which would clear away the garbage in the dump in about seven years.

But residents from the Victims of Sukolilo Garbage Forum opposed the plan, saying they had lost faith in the local administration.

"They promised to plant trees and normalize the environment around the dump. And while that promise has not been met, now they are offering us a new plan," the forum's chief, Fathoni, who also spoke at the discussion, said. -- Antara