Minister rejects Bojong tryout

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Minister of the Environment Rachmat Witoelar has lent support to residents in their opposition to the planned trial of the Bojong waste treatment plant in Bogor regency.

"We are determined to reject the tryout," he said on Tuesday in a hearing with House of Representatives Commission VII for energy, human resources and environmental issues.

Bogor authorities revealed last week that the regental administration and the plant operator, PT Wira Guna Sejahtera, would carry out the trial on Wednesday.

The state minister argued that, after thoroughly studying the matter, a joint team manned by staff from his office, the Office of the State Minister of Research and Technology and the Jakarta administration had recommended that the operation be shelved.

The team was assigned to determine the feasibility of the plant, including studying the environmental impact analysis and problems in the field.

Late last month, a special House team also recommended the closure of the plant as its presence violated land zoning regulations. The team said the construction of the site had violated Bogor Bylaw No. 27/1998 stipulating that the area in question was designated as a residential, tourism and agricultural area.

The deputy executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Ridha Saleh, said that tension between opposing parties had run high since Monday.

Dozens of local residents gathered at a post near the plant in anticipation of the company operating the facility at night.

Bojong plant manager Henry said the main machines in the facility were in place and ready for a trial run.

"The installation is 95 percent complete. We only need to install some fixtures, such as lamps in corners of the facility." he said.

The facility has in the past been vandalized by residents who foiled the last trial run of the plant in November last year. The residents feared the plant would damage the environment and their health.

The plant, built in 2003, is meant to incinerate one-third of Jakarta's daily waste of 6,000 tons. Jakarta anticipated that the plant would reduce its dependency on the Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi owing to on-and-off operations of the dump amid opposition from local residents.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said that his office would use the plant only if the facility operator proved that the plant would not damage the environment.

"Should the trial run fail, we surely won't use it," he announced at City Hall.