Jakarta opens talks with Bekasi over Bantar Gebang
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Following mounting protest from Bojong residents over Jakarta administration's plans to build a garbage treatment facility there, Governor Sutiyoso opened talks with Bekasi Mayor Ahmad Zulfaih on the possible extension of the Bantar Gebang dump site agreement to facilitate the capital's daily 6,000 tons of trash.
"Before we process the garbage it will be dumped there (Bantar Gebang)," Sutiyoso told the press before meeting with Achmad at City Hall on Friday.
Sutiyoso corrected his earlier statement that the dump site would be closed in December and not be able to handle even Bekasi's garbage.
His statement was the first confession that his administration was not ready to handle the city's daily garbage flow should the Bantar Gebang dump site close.
City officials previously claimed that the administration had anticipated the possible closure of the dump site, saying that they already prepared several alternative sites, including one in Bojong village, Bogor; one in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, and one on Jl. Cakung Cilincing, East Jakarta.
But the facilities in Duri Kosambi and on Jl. Cakung Cilincing were clearly not ready at all.
The site in Bojong -- owned by private firm PT Wira Gulfindo Sarana -- with a daily capacity of 1,500 tons has been strongly rejected by residents.
On Wednesday thousands of residents of Bojong and surrounding villages staged a protest in front of the Bogor regency council rejecting the planned garbage facility. They feared that the area would suffer environmental damage as was caused by the Bantar Gebang garbage dump.
It is not clear whether Sutiyoso's meeting with Mayor Achmad was a consequence of the residents' protest.
The agreement between Jakarta and Bekasi on the Bantar Gebang garbage dump, located in the Bekasi municipality, will expire in December, this year.
After the meeting, Achmad claimed the agreement to extend the use of Bantar Gebang had not been decided but an independent team -- comprising of representatives from the Jakarta and Bekasi municipalities -- would be set up to clarify the issue.
He also refused to comment on whether the Bekasi municipality would be compensated should the agreement be extended.
"These problems will be discussed by the team, we hope that the results will be known within two weeks," Achmad said.
He added his administration has prepared 10 hectares of land -- to accommodate the 1,000 tons of garbage produced by Bekasi residents -- in anticipation of the possible closure of Bantar Gebang garbage dump.
In December 2001, Bekasi municipality closed Bantar Gebang dump site due to environmental damage to the surrounding area.
But the Bekasi municipality reopened the dump after intervention from President Megawati Soekarnoputri and State Minister for Environment Nabiel Makarim.
As part of the reopening Jakarta agreed to provide Rp 14 billion (US$1.4 million) to build various facilities, including a community health center, and a water pipeline in the three villages of Bantar Gebang district: Ciketing Udik, Cikiwul and Sumur Batu.