Environmental Agency Cuts Waste Mound Height in Anticipation of Landslides Like Bantar Gebang

The Purwakarta District Environmental Agency (DLH) has confirmed that waste mounds at the Cikolotok Final Disposal Site (TPA) remain in a safe category and protected from potential landslides.

In anticipation of waste landslides similar to those that occurred at Bantar Gebang TPA in Bekasi during periods of high rainfall intensity, the Purwakarta District Environmental Agency has closed a 4-hectare area previously used for waste disposal, replacing it with a new waste disposal location still within the Cikolotok TPA area.

“Of the total Cikolotok TPA area of 10 hectares, 4 hectares were used for the old disposal site. The waste disposal location has now been relocated to a new area, though development is being carried out in phases with just 1 hectare currently in use,” said Erlan Diansyah on Monday (9 March).

Diansyah also noted that the height of waste mounds at Cikolotok TPA is being carefully managed to prevent excessive height and is continuously levelled using heavy machinery.

“Waste mounds are constantly being tidied up. Heights range between 2 metres to 4 metres above ground level, so they do not reach dozens of metres,” Diansyah explained.

The Purwakarta DLH has also deployed heavy equipment in the form of bulldozers to level waste, thereby reducing the height of mounds to approximately 2 metres. In addition to height management, the waste disposal area still has sufficient capacity.

According to Diansyah, the volume of waste entering Cikolotok TPA daily reaches approximately 160 tonnes. The location also hosts scavenging activities where workers utilise waste for recycling purposes.