Jakarta, Bekasi end garbage dump dispute

Jakarta, Bekasi end garbage dump dispute

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The dispute between the Jakarta city administration and the
Bekasi mayoralty over the use of the Bantar Gebang garbage dump
ended with the signing of a new agreement on Thursday.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and Bekasi Mayor Nonon Sonthanie
signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the home of the
State Minister of Environment Nabiel Makariem in South Jakarta,
as the minister's office on Jl. DI Panjaitan, East Jakarta, was
completely flooded.

Bekasi finally allowed Jakarta to use the 104-hectare dump
after city officials promised to pay a compensation of Rp 14
billion (US$1.4 million) this year, and to build a community
health center and a local water pipeline.

Next year, the Jakarta administration will pay Rp 8.75
billion, while last year it only paid Rp 2.5 billion.

Sonthanie said that the MOU would be effective through
December of this year.

"We will evaluate it later," he said, adding that Jakarta
would be allowed to use the dump for another year, but only if it
could fulfill its end of the agreement.

Jakarta produces at least 25,000 cubic meters of garbage every
day, and most of it is disposed at Bantar Gebang.

The mayor closed the site on Dec. 5, due to environmental
damage.

The closure initially caused Sutiyoso to panic, as Jakarta did
not have a proper system with which to treat the garbage. As a
result, garbage piled up in many parts of the city.

A week later, Bekasi reopened the dump, and gave the city the
deadline of Jan. 31 for the renewal of the MOU.

Sutiyoso said earlier that his administration was being
"blackmailed" by the mayoralty. The Bantar Gebang district chief
reportedly asked an operational car.

"Bekasi asked for compensation in hundreds of billions of
rupiah," Sutiyoso said.

Jakarta first began using the dump in 1986. Bekasi and Jakarta
officials signed their first MOU in 1999, which required the city
administration to repair any environmental damage, and pay a
compensation of Rp 1 billion per year.

But water and air pollution around the area worsened due to
the improper implementation of the sanitary landfill system at
the dump.

Following the closure of Bantar Gebang, Sutiyoso replaced the
chief and deputy of the City Sanitary Agency, Saksono Soehodo and
Soegiono, respectively.

Bekasi was undeterred by the governor's move, however, as the
era of reform allowed a mayoralty to challenge a provincial
administration.

Bekasi's stance was believed to have weakened after President
Megawati Soekarnoputri, who met Sutiyoso on Monday, urged the
mayoralty to allow Jakarta to use the dump.

Two weeks ago, to win over Bantar Gebang residents who
protested the reopening of the site, Sutiyoso provided them with
three tons of rice, clothes, and 30 goats.

New terms of Bantar Gebang MoU

1. Jakarta will pay compensation of Rp 14 billion (US$1.4
million) this year.

2. Jakarta will pay compensation of Rp 8.75 billion next year.

3. Jakarta will build a community health center with treatment
facilities.

4. Jakarta will construct a water pipeline in three villages of
Bantar Gebang district: Ciketing Udik, Cikiwul and Sumur Batu.