Financial woes delay garbage projects
Financial woes delay garbage projects
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakarta administration officials admitted on Tuesday that they
still had made little progress in dealing with the city's 6,000
tons of daily waste as investors who had proposed high-tech
garbage management were mostly still waiting for the approval of
bank loans to finance their projects.
"The plan to introduce hi-tech waste management, which would
be fully financed by investors, is still far from being realized.
Most of the investors are facing financial problems...we are
planning to cross several off the list," said Jakarta Sanitation
Agency head Selamat Limbong.
He was speaking in a meeting between Jakarta officials and the
City Council's Commission D that oversees development affairs.
Limbong was accompanied by assistant to the City Secretary for
Development Affairs, IGKG Suena, and the Jakarta Environmental
Management Body (BPLHD) head, Kosasih Wirahadikusumah.
The administration has received proposals from nine companies,
who will provide bale-press machines and various other facilities
to transform organic waste into bio-fertilizer.
However, only PT Wira Gulfindo Sarana seems ready to operate
the bale-press machines at the city dump in Bojong, Klapanunggal,
Bogor, in March, although the continued presence of the dump has
met with rowdy protests from locals.
The officials, however were unable to evade the councillors'
harsh criticism.
"You have made no progress at all. The report you presented
just now is the same as the one you gave us six months ago. You
just changed the color of the report covers," said Tjuk Sudono of
the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction.
He recalled that officials had claimed in an earlier report
that most of the deals with the investors were near realization,
pending the approval of bank loans.
He accused Limbong's office of failing to lure reliable
investors as it never made public the specific requirements for
companies willing to be involved in the garbage management
projects.
Councillor RS Harriyanto also voiced similar concern about the
sluggish progress in waste management projects.
"You must stop using the conventional way of managing garbage
and start telling the people to sort and manage their own garbage
at their own households," he said.
In a related development, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said on
Monday that the administration had given compensation to the fish
farmers whose farms near the Rawa Malang dump in Cilincing, North
Jakarta, were polluted by Jakarta's garbage.
"We will remove the garbage we have dumped there...We will be
responsible for the (environmental) damage there," he said,
without detailing the amount of the compensation.
Investors for Jakarta's garbage management
Company Location Problem(s)
1. PT Wira Gulfindo Sarana Bojong, Bogor protest from locals
2. PT Interindo Global Duri Kosambi, W.Jakarta financial problems
3. PT Karya Mitra Selaras Rorotan, Cilincing awaiting loan
approval from Bank Mandiri, Bank DKI
4. PT Pupuk Sriwijaya Ind. Sunter, North Jakarta building permit,
environmental analysis in process
5. PT Galuh Chanda Kirana Rawa Buaya, West Jakarta financial problems
6. PT Farce Tamajaya four areas in the city awaiting loan
approval from Bank Mandiri, Bank DKI
7. PT Nusa Bangun Sejahtera Marunda, North Jakarta building permit,
environmental analysis in process
8. PT Acme Corporation Rorotan, Cilincing in negotiation
with the investor
9. PT Patriot Bangkit Bekasi Bantar Gebang proposal still
being studied