Govt to regreen Bantar Gebang dump

BEKASI: Deputy Mayor Mochtar Mohamad said the city would plant at least 10,000 teak trees in the area around the Bantar Gebang dump here.

He expressed hope the regreening effort would help cut down on pollution in the area within five to 10 years.

"Youth organizations have collected the seedlings," he said on Tuesday.

The dump, located on 108 hectares of land, takes in some 6,000 tons of waste from Jakarta every day. The site is also home to 12,000 scavengers.

Mochtar also encouraged the Jakarta administration to help improve the environment around the dump and pay greater attention to the welfare of residents living in the vicinity, including the Ciketing Udik, Cikiwul and Sumur Batu subdistricts.

Many residents have complained of health problems due to pollution caused by the poorly managed dump.

Environment Community Union director Benny Tunggul Hasiholan said the regreening work was necessary to replace trees destroyed in a fire last year.

"It should be the joint responsibility of both the Bekasi and Jakarta administrations," he said. -- Antara