Jakarta seeks continued use of Bantar Gebang
Jakarta seeks continued use of Bantar Gebang
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Getting rid of rubbish is difficult, especially when it is
garbage produced by a city of more than eight million people,
like Jakarta. If the garbage were put into trucks they would take
up the entire length of Jl Thamrin and Jl Sudirman.
The daily amount of waste produced by the city amounts to
6,000 tons. Early last month the city was haunted by the specter
of accumulating garbage for days and the resultant threat of
disease was real.
The city's headache has been discernible, as it keeps on
switching plans for alternative dumpsites, following the closure
of its customary site at Bantar Gebang in Bekasi.
Alternative locations include Marunda, Sunter, Tegal Alur,
Kamal, all in Jakarta, and also far-flung Bangka island. At
present the Jakarta administration believes it should stick to
its 104-hectare dumpsite at Bantar Gebang, at least until the end
of 2002.
This confidence is indicated by the administration's response
to the Bekasi mayoralty's demands, city spokesman Muhayat told
The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
"We are optimistic that Bantar Gebang will be kept open until
the end of 2002," he said, adding that both authorities were
continuing to hold meetings concerning the problem.
So far, the administration has provided three school buildings
and one community health clinic, sunk two wells, presented one
fire engine and built a ring road around the dumpsite for Bekasi
residents.
Previously, the mayoralty had asked the administration to
provide a number of public facilities in the area around the
dumpsite, such as new mosques, for example.
However, Jakarta said the demands were too great and that it
would probably not be able to fulfill them. Meantime, Bekasi has
cited Jan. 31 as the deadline to submit to its demands.
"We identified the Marunda dump in North Jakarta and Tegal
Alur in West Jakarta as alternative locations should a dispute
occur in the future and the Bekasi mayoralty decide to close the
dump," Muhayat said.
However, Jakarta seems to have no choice but to extend its
agreement with Bantar Gebang as it is becoming increasingly clear
that the other alternatives would not be ready before the
deadline expired.
Jakarta's environmental impact management agency said that an
environmental impact analysis for Marunda and Tegal Alur had yet
to commence.
"We are still working on the terms of reference (TOR), which
will encompass all the details of the analysis," agency head
Kosasih told reporters.
The agency is expected to finish the TOR early next month.
In compliance with the existing terms of reference, an
independent team would be set up to conduct the analysis.
"It will take at least six months," he said.
This means that it is almost impossible for Jakarta to replace
the Bantar Gebang dumpsite by either the 71-hectare Tegal Alur or
60-hectare Marunda sites in the near future.
Bekasi has set a Jan. 31 deadline for the signing of a new
memorandum of understanding requiring Jakarta to comply with new
terms.
Bekasi closed the Bantar Gebang dump on Dec. 10 due to
environmental concerns. It reopened the site later, following an
intervention from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the House of
Representatives.
The renewed demand from Bekasi was attributable to the new
autonomy law that took effect on Jan. 1 this year and gave
regional governments more leeway to govern themselves.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso had said earlier that the
administration was also eyeing Bangka island, which lies to the
east of South Sumatra, to take daily some 4,000 tons of the
city's garbage. The garbage would be used as infill at worked-out
opencast tin mines in the islands.
But, as of today, none of the planned alternative dumpsites is
able to receive Jakarta's garbage.
Mounting protest from residents in the vicinity of the
respective sites has dampened the administration's plans.
Dozens of Marunda residents staged a rally on Tuesday at the
City Council, asking legislators to cancel the city's plan to use
Marunda as Jakarta's alternative dumpsite.
Residents of Tegal Alur have also objected to the plan, unless
the city met their requirements, which included the construction
of a three-meter wall separating the location from residential
areas and the development of some public facilities.
At present, some 5,000 tons of the city's garbage are taken to
Bantar Gebang, while the remaining 1,000 tons are dumped at
roadsides and in rivers.
The administration plans to allocate Rp 233.5 billion this
year for spending on the city's environmental problems and on
urban design.