Karawang to be site of new dump
Karawang to be site of new dump
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta
Jakarta will have another place to off-load its garbage this
year, a 70-hectare dump in Rengasdengklok, Karawang regency, West
Java, which is located some 70 kilometers to the east of the
capital.
Assistant to the City Secretary for Development Affairs IGKG
Suena said on Friday, the city administration had approved the
proposal submitted by private company PT Cikelor Mandiri to use
the site as a dump.
"Governor (Sutiyoso) approved the proposal. We told the
company to make all the necessary arrangements with the Karawang
administration, including to carry out an
environmental-impact analysis there," he said at City Hall.
Citing a recent report from the company, Suena claimed that
locals around the area, where an industrial plant was formerly
located, had agreed to the plan.
The area is owned by PT Cikelor Mandiri.
Suena said the company would provide a waste transportation
service between Rengasdengklok and Jakarta, as well as the land
for the dump.
He said the company had promised to provide closed dump trucks
so that a "putrid smell" would not be emitted during
transportation.
"The tipping fee would be Rp 53,000 (US$5.7) per ton. The
company says a minimum of 1,500 tons of waste dumped daily would
cover its operational costs," he added.
The Karawang dump would alleviate the Jakarta administration's
chronic problem of disposing of its 6,000 tons of daily waste.
Most of the waste is dumped at Bantar Gebang in Bekasi
municipality.
People living around Bantar Gebang have demanded the closure
of the dump, citing environmental damage to the surrounding area
and health problems suffered by residents as reasons.
Jakarta was briefly forced to find an alternative dump
following Bekasi councillors' objections to the use of Bantar
Gebang. They demanded that Jakarta abide by a previous agreement
that the dump would be closed by Dec. 31, 2003.
The capital was left with very few options and dumped its
waste on an open field in Cilincing, North Jakarta. Local fish
farmers said pollution from that dump killed thousands of their
fish and shrimps. Jakarta administration financially compensated
the farmers.
Later, Jakarta and Bekasi agreed to reopen Bantar Gebang dump,
with Bekasi required to compensate nearby residents.
Jakarta has also been preparing a waste treatment facility in
Klapanunggal, Bogor. The facility, using German bale-press
technology, can accommodate a maximum of 2,500 tons of waste per
day. The plant is not operating at present due to financial
constraints.