Jakarta Legislator Urges Permanent Closure of Illegal Rubbish Dumps
A member of Commission C of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD DKI), August Hamonangan, has urged the Jakarta Provincial Government to ensure that illegal waste disposal sites are permanently closed. He considers this step crucial so that the existence of such unauthorised dumping points does not give rise to social or environmental problems in the future.
August expressed his support for the Jakarta Provincial Government’s plan to publicly identify parties that dispose of waste illegally and to impose strict sanctions on them.
“The Jakarta Provincial Government must also ensure that the waste sites are closed for good, so that they no longer disrupt the lives of the community,” August said in a written statement on Thursday (13/8).
In addition to highlighting the waste problem, August strongly condemned the incident in which journalists were obstructed while covering an illegal waste site in the Cilincing area of North Jakarta on Tuesday (11/8). In his view, the action constituted a violation of press freedom in covering an issue that has become a matter of public concern.
“Such an action undermines press freedom and could be regarded as preventing the public from obtaining information that has a major impact on their lives,” August stressed.
He called on the Jakarta Provincial Government to take the obstruction incident seriously so that it does not set a bad precedent. August is concerned that if it is left unaddressed, parties in other locations will feel they enjoy legal immunity and will imitate similar actions.
Furthermore, August emphasised that enforcement against illegal waste sites should have been carried out long ago by the Jakarta Provincial Government. He regretted that illegal dumping practices still occur, even though the government launched the Source-Based Waste Sorting and Processing Movement in May.
“The Jakarta Provincial Government should have taken action against these illegal waste sites a long time ago, especially after the launch of the Source-Based Waste Sorting and Processing Movement last May,” he concluded.