New dump sites yet to be prepared

As the closure of the city's main refuse disposal site at Bantar Gebang, Bekasi nears, the city administration is currently scrambling for new locations, while officials at most of the appointed sites said they had yet to make preparations.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso announced on Thursday that a 65- hectare plot in Tegal Alur and a six-hectare plot in Kamal Muara, both in West Jakarta; a five-hectare dump site in Cacing (Cakung- Cilincing) area in North Jakarta and an eight-hectare dump site in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta, will be taking the city's garbage after 104-hectare site in Bantar Gebang closes this Monday Dec. 10.

Previously, the city administration had listed Srengseng and Kapok in West Jakarta, as well as Jonggol in Bogor as alternative locations to replace Bantar Gebang. But it decided to drop the plan for the two West Jakarta sites due to a strong possibility of protests from local residents. The plans for Jonggol were scrapped due to the absence of permits from the Bogor administration.

The Bekasi administration has decided to close the Bantar Gebang, citing the Jakarta Administration's failure to solve the environmental damage in the area.

With such a closure, the city administration will have to find other sites for dumping its 6,000 tons of garbage per day.

The location in Pulo Gebang is currently a productive rice field with no preparation activity in sight.

Staff at the District Sanitation Agency, whose office is located right in front of the proposed dump, said that they had heard rumors of the plan, but were yet to be given any confirmation or instructions.

"It has yet to be confirmed. If the plan is going to be carried out, we must at least uproot the rice and dig the land," said Memet, a staff member at the agency.

The location is also in the middle of a residential area, and although residents have not been officially informed of the plan, they objected to having the trash site in their area.

"I hope they will cancel it. It will be awful to constantly inhale the smell of garbage daily and having to bear with the truck noise which would be taking garbage to the location," said one housewife, Yana, who has been living in the area since she was born 27 years ago.

Meanwhile, Siswanto, chief of Tegal Alur sub-district, in which the largest of the planned sites is located, denied that his area would be used as a dump.

"The garbage will be brought to Kamal Muara district and not here. This is a residential area, there can't possibly be a waste site," Siswanto told The Jakarta Post.

Earlier, a sub-district official in Kamal Muara confirmed the plan, and was making some preparations for the site as it was located in the middle of an industrial estate far from any residential areas.

At Cacing, a waste incineration site which is a collaboration between the city administration and a private company, PT Wira Gulfindo, trucks have been transporting refuse to Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, as its incinerator has been out of order for the past two months.

Cacing usually accommodates about 200 waste disposal trucks daily, transporting mostly organic waste from all over Jakarta.

"We still have a few more days before Bantar Gebang is officially closed, therefore we are transporting some of our garbage to Bantar Gebang to clear some space," said Darno, an employee at the Cacing location.

Meanwhile in Kapuk, West Jakarta, a sub-district officer said that they were completely unaware of any such plans for a dump.