Investors sought for waste plant projects

Investors sought for waste plant projects

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration is inviting private companies to build
waste treatment plants here in order to settle waste disposal
problem once and for all.

"I has been tasked by Governor Sutiyoso to seek investors
interested in developing waste treatment facilities in the
capital," said newly installed head of the City Sanitation
Agency Rama Boedi on Tuesday.

Rama said his office was looking into the possibility of
developing one treatment plant in each of East Jakarta, North
Jakarta, West Jakarta and South Jakarta municipalities.

"With the planned construction of waste treatment facilities,
we hope we will no longer depend on other regions to manage
around 6,000 tons of garbage the city produces daily," he said.

He said companies interested in the projects must have high
qualifications -- both financial and technology capabilities.

According to Rama, potential investors would also be asked to
explain their financial sources -- soft or commercial loan. "Of
course, all facilities to be constructed in the city will use
high technology, which will be environmentally friendly," he
added.

He stressed, however, that the city administration would still
maintain existing dumps outside Jakarta, including the 104-
hectare dump in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi municipality, which would
support planned waste treatment facilities.

Rama did not mention locations of planned waste plants, but
several locations had been cited as potential alternative dump
sites, including Marunda in North Jakarta, Tegal Alur and Duri
Kosambi in West Jakarta and Cakung in East Jakarta.

Almost every year, the city experiences waste crisis.

Early last year, the city was forced to dispose garbage to
Cilincing subdistrict, North Jakarta, following the closure of
Bantar Gebang dump.