Medical Waste Disposal Distresses Residents of Cikalongwetan

Hazardous and toxic materials (B3) in the form of medical waste were dumped indiscriminately, blocking the road access in Kampung Cileunca, RT 05 RW 10 Desa Tenjolaut, Cikalongwetan District, West Bandung Regency. The medical waste was placed in several black plastic bags and piled together with various other types of rubbish. The condition is feared to pose serious risks to the environment and local residents’ health. One resident, Jana Turjana, aged 50, said the waste was first noticed on Monday (2/3). She saw someone dumping waste using a yellow dump truck. “At 2:00 a.m. WIB, I and several residents pursued the truck, but could not catch it as the truck kept outmanoeuvring us and we stopped,” she said, on Tuesday (3/3). The road blocked by waste is the main access for residents; nearby there are poultry farms, so goods vehicles cannot pass due to the pile of rubbish. “This is the main road for residents. There are poultry farm businesses here, so trucks cannot enter because of the waste,” she added. Jana also expressed concern that medical waste could carry disease and endanger public health. She hopes authorities will promptly clear the waste and vigorously prosecute the culprits to prevent a recurrence. “We fear this medical waste could bring illness,” she said. Head of the Civil Peace and Public Order Section of Cicalongwetan District, Pipin Irawan, said they visited the site following a resident report. From the inspection, they found syringes, medical gloves, masks and used medicine boxes. “We saw syringes, medical gloves, masks, and medicine boxes. However, we do not yet know which hospital or health facility the waste originated from,” he explained. Pipin stated that further action is entirely up to the police. The site has been cordoned off with police tape by Polsek Cikalongwetan. Moreover, the disposal of medical waste by an irresponsible individual is lamentable because it occurred in the middle of the main and only road used by residents. The people cannot pass at all, which is highly regrettable.