President Prabowo's Warning on Bantargebang Waste Crisis Becomes Tragic Reality
JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto’s warning about the dangers posed by waste at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Management Facility has now proven tragically prescient.
A landslide at the waste heap on Sunday, 8 March 2026, claimed six lives, with one person still missing and six rescued alive.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that Bantargebang’s capacity, which has reached over 55 million tonnes, has reached a critical point.
President Prabowo Subianto had emphasised the urgency of waste management since the Full Cabinet Meeting on 20 October 2025, stating: “If I’m not mistaken, reports indicate that Bantargebang has already accumulated tens of millions of tonnes, 55 million tonnes stacked up. If there’s heavy rain, it could endanger many neighbourhoods around it.”
In response to these risks, the government is targeting construction of 34 Waste-to-Energy Power Plants (PLTSa) distributed across Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Bali. The project is estimated to be completed within two years and is expected to convert waste into energy whilst reducing environmental impact and supporting the tourism sector.
The tragedy at Bantargebang proves that the President’s warning was not mere rhetoric.
According to Eko Uban, a rescue member with Bekasi City Fire and Rescue Services, the landslide occurred on Sunday at approximately 14:30 WIB whilst several trucks were queued to discharge their loads. The condition of the waste heap, which had become wet from rainfall in the preceding days, significantly increased the risk of collapse.
By Monday evening, 9 March 2026, the death toll had risen to 13 people, with six confirmed dead.
Desiana Kartika Bahari, Head of Jakarta Search and Rescue Office, stated that the bodies were found approximately 10 metres below the surface of the waste heap, near trucks that had been buried. “The truck was found last night, but there were no casualties inside it. Therefore, the casualty found today is likely the driver who was in the truck we discovered last night,” she said on Monday, 9 March 2026.