Locals irked by dump, prefer to stay quiet
Locals irked by dump, prefer to stay quiet
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With the Jakarta administration shutting down the Bantar Gebang
dump, the capital's dump trucks have begun to dispose of their
6,000 tons of daily waste on open land in Cilincing subdistrict
and near Jl. Cakung Cilincing in Rorotan subdistrict, both in
North Jakarta.
The dump trucks started to dump the garbage in Cilincing on
Saturday, without the benefit of any waste treatment processes.
A security officer of property firm PT Nusa Kirana,
Baharuddin, said he was ordered to guard a plot of land owned by
the company adjacent to the Cilincing dump site because "we are
afraid that they will dump garbage onto our land".
He and nearby residents said the dump site in Cilincing was no
more than five hectares in size, but a security guard with the
Jakarta Sanitation Agency, Hartono, said the land was 15
hectares.
Residents living near the two dump sites have begun to
complain about the smell and the pollution caused by the waste.
Sumadi, 26, a meatball soup vendor in Rorotan, said he had
lost most of his customers, mostly warehouse workers, because
garbage trucks were constantly passing by his food stall.
"Many workers used to eat here. But they don't come here
anymore because the garbage trucks pass by on this road," said
Sumadi, a handkerchief pressed tightly over his nose.
Paimin, 40, whose lives immediately next to the dump, said
residents were not informed by administration officials that
their neighborhood would be turned into a dump.
Paimin, who has been in his house for two years, said he was
disturbed by the smell from the garbage and the noise of the dump
trucks. Other residents have similar complaints.
"But we have become used to the situation," he told The
Jakarta Post. He said he was unhappy with the situation but did
not know how to bring his complaint to the administration.
Residents living around Bantar Gebang had repeatedly demanded
the Bekasi administration close down the dump because of health
and environmental concerns.
When Bekasi agreed to extend Jakarta's contract to use the
dump on Dec. 22, residents blocked the entrance to Bantar Gebang,
causing waste to pile up in the capital.
Jakarta then decided to close down the dump because it felt it
was being "cornered" by Bekasi, especially over demands that it
pay Rp 85,000 (US$10) for every ton of waste it dumped.
Other residents said they feared the thugs who were
benefiting from the opening of the dump site in Cilincing. The
thugs collect illegal fees from garbage truck drivers.
The drivers complain that they have to pay the thugs about Rp
15,000 every time they go to the dump.
"I only get a Rp 10,000 operational allowance per trip from my
office but I have to pay those thugs Rp 15,000," said a driver
from city market operator PD Pasar Jaya, who requested anonymity.
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With the Jakarta administration shutting down the Bantar Gebang
dump, the capital's dump trucks have begun to dispose of their
6,000 tons of daily waste on open land in Cilincing subdistrict
and near Jl. Cakung Cilincing in Rorotan subdistrict, both in
North Jakarta.
The dump trucks started to dump the garbage in Cilincing on
Saturday, without the benefit of any waste treatment processes.
A security officer of property firm PT Nusa Kirana,
Baharuddin, said he was ordered to guard a plot of land owned by
the company adjacent to the Cilincing dump site because "we are
afraid that they will dump garbage onto our land".
He and nearby residents said the dump site in Cilincing was no
more than five hectares in size, but a security guard with the
Jakarta Sanitation Agency, Hartono, said the land was 15
hectares.
Residents living near the two dump sites have begun to
complain about the smell and the pollution caused by the waste.
Sumadi, 26, a meatball soup vendor in Rorotan, said he had
lost most of his customers, mostly warehouse workers, because
garbage trucks were constantly passing by his food stall.
"Many workers used to eat here. But they don't come here
anymore because the garbage trucks pass by on this road," said
Sumadi, a handkerchief pressed tightly over his nose.
Paimin, 40, whose lives immediately next to the dump, said
residents were not informed by administration officials that
their neighborhood would be turned into a dump.
Paimin, who has been in his house for two years, said he was
disturbed by the smell from the garbage and the noise of the dump
trucks. Other residents have similar complaints.
"But we have become used to the situation," he told The
Jakarta Post. He said he was unhappy with the situation but did
not know how to bring his complaint to the administration.
Residents living around Bantar Gebang had repeatedly demanded
the Bekasi administration close down the dump because of health
and environmental concerns.
When Bekasi agreed to extend Jakarta's contract to use the
dump on Dec. 22, residents blocked the entrance to Bantar Gebang,
causing waste to pile up in the capital.
Jakarta then decided to close down the dump because it felt it
was being "cornered" by Bekasi, especially over demands that it
pay Rp 85,000 (US$10) for every ton of waste it dumped.
Other residents said they feared the thugs who were
benefiting from the opening of the dump site in Cilincing. The
thugs collect illegal fees from garbage truck drivers.
The drivers complain that they have to pay the thugs about Rp
15,000 every time they go to the dump.
"I only get a Rp 10,000 operational allowance per trip from my
office but I have to pay those thugs Rp 15,000," said a driver
from city market operator PD Pasar Jaya, who requested anonymity.