KLH to continue Jatiwaringin landfill investigation after fire extinguished

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Environment (LH) Moh. Jumhur Hidayat stated that his side will collaborate with all parties to continue the investigation into the fire at the Jatiwaringin Final Processing Site (TPA) in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, Banten, following the completion of extinguishing operations.

“I think our focus for now is on extinguishing the fire, but after that there will certainly be an investigation, something like that,” he said in Jakarta on Friday.

Previously, the Jatiwaringin landfill was affected by a fire covering approximately 15 hectares. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) stated that the main area of the Jatiwaringin landfill had finally been successfully extinguished.

Abdul Muhari, Head of the Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre at BNPB, said in Jakarta that this success was the result of hard, collaborative work by the joint emergency response team since the incident was reported on 30 June until Thursday (9/7) evening.

“The main area of the Jatiwaringin landfill, covering approximately 15 hectares and affected by the fire, has been reported as 100 per cent extinguished and is now in an intensive cooling phase,” he said.

Abdul explained that although the main area within the landfill has been brought under control, the joint team in the field remains on standby to anticipate hotspots and thin plumes of smoke detected in the disposal area outside the landfill complex.

Meanwhile, the Tangerang Regency Government in Banten Province has prepared the opening of two hectares of new land to be used as a temporary waste disposal service site.

“Waste disposal from areas across Tangerang Regency remains normal for now. We have prepared two hectares of land to be used temporarily,” said Tangerang Regent Moch Maesyal Rasyid.

The Tangerang Regent also assured that waste transportation continues to run normally, with around 1,200 tonnes of waste per day to be temporarily diverted to the new site that has now been prepared.

“But if this is finished later, the land will be restored to normal, we will clean it up again, and the waste will be prepared in places that must support the processing of waste into electrical energy,” he said.