Jakarta administration trashes Bekasi's demand for garbage treatment fee
Jakarta administration trashes Bekasi's demand for garbage treatment fee
P.C. Naommy and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bekasi
The Jakarta administration has turned down Bekasi's offer to
treat the capital's garbage in the Bantar Gebang dump at a rate
of Rp 85,000 (US$10) per ton of waste.
Assistant to the city secretary for development affairs, Irzal
Djamal, said on Friday that the demand was not included in the
memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by representatives from
Jakarta and Bekasi administrations on Jan. 1.
If Jakarta agrees to the offer, it must pay Bekasi up to Rp
186 billion per year. The figure is far from the planned
compensation of Rp 25 billion, as proposed in Jakarta's 2004
budget.
The MOU only extends the use of the dump, which had expired on
Dec. 31, and addresses general rulings on how to manage garbage
at Bantar Gebang.
The ruling includes the establishment of a Bekasi city-owned
company to convert Jakarta's waste into compost. The company will
involve officials from Bekasi, Jakarta and the third party.
However, City Hall spokesman, Muhayat, claimed that
compensation and the company's establishment would be discussed
later. He pointed out that the company would not be established
without Jakarta's approval.
Muhayat said that Jakarta had actually prepared emergency
dumps in several areas in North Jakarta in anticipation of the
possibility that the capital's waste could not be dumped at
Bantar Gebang. He declined to name the places.
Bekasi will employ 500 residents living around Bantar Gebang
dump to produce compost.
But head of the environmental division at the Bekasi
Sanitation Agency, Dedi Juanda, said that the agency would need a
year to prepare the processing facility.
"The construction of the processing facility will start this
month. For the time being, garbage dumped at Bantar Gebang will
be processed using a landfill system, as has been used
previously," he said.
Jakarta Sanitation Agency's head of garbage management
division, Amir Sagala, questioned Bekasi's seriousness and
preparations for the waste processing facility.
No machines nor workers from Bekasi administration were seen
at the site, that was supposedly being prepared for compost
production.
The decision to allow Jakarta to dump its 6,000 tons of daily
waste apparently upset residents in Ciketing Udik, Cikiwul and
Sumur Batu subdistricts. Opposing the decision, they blocked the
Pangkalan Lime entrance to the dump, preventing Jakarta's garbage
trucks from unloading trash there. The truck drivers had to
retreat and, as they had no other alternative, dumped the waste
at Rorotan temporary dump in Cilincing, North Jakarta, which has
a capacity of only 2,000 tons.
"We don't believe in our administration anymore," said Onar, a
prominent figure of Ciketing Udik.
He argued that the Bekasi administration had not been
transparent in spending the compensation money from Jakarta.
"We need proof of what the money is for," he argued.
Residents of the three subdistricts demanded that the Bekasi
administration disburse the money to the subdistrict office and
let them manage the funds.
Bekasi received a total of Rp 22 billion in compensation for
2002 and 2003. This year, the Jakarta administration has proposed
to compensate Bekasi Rp 25 billion.
Another resident from Sumur Batu subdistrict, Darusalam, said
that the people had sent letters to the Bekasi administration,
outlining their objections to the extension of the use of the
dump and demanding compensation for residents.
Water from the dump has polluted water sources in the area.
Residents are therefore unable to use the ground water for
cooking and bathing. The Environment Community Union (ECU) had
revealed its analysis that water taken from the wells of
residents in the area contained coliform bacteria, cyanide,
chloride, cadmium, chrome, zinc and mercury, which are believed
to derive from the dump.
The pollution has allegedly killed 10 hectares of rice crops
in Sumur Batu.