Residents challenge plan to reopen dump
Residents challenge plan to reopen dump
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Bekasi residents were livid over a plan to possibly reopen
Bantar Gebang dump, because they do not have faith in the City
administration's willingness, integrity or ability to manage the
waste disposal site effectively.
The Jakarta administration, and particularly the sanitation
agency broke several promises to Bekasi in recent years. It was
agreed upon that Jakarta would properly manage the trash, closely
monitor environmental impacts and provide medical services to
residents suffering the ill effects of close proximity to the
site.
None of these promises were fulfilled, or apparently even
attempted. As a result, the residents are extremely skeptical
towards any of the administration's intentions.
"I would much prefer the site to be permanently closed. It
brings nothing but trouble.. the Jakarta administration is
inconsistent with their own promises," said Ahmad Irsan, who has
been living in the Bantar Gebang area for around 10 years.
After a long dispute between Bekasi and the Jakarta
administration, Bantar Gebang was closed on Monday, with nearby
residents torching two garbage trucks and damaging several others
that were attempting to dump their trash at the location.
On Wednesday, however, after a meeting between the two
administrations at the ministry of home affairs, Bekasi
apparently softened its stance and Jakarta may be able to resume
dumping at the location upon certain conditions. It was not
decided that the dump would be definitely reopened, however,
negotiations were continuing with councillors from both
administrations seen visiting the dump on Thursday.
The Bekasi administration had used the councillors' and
residents' objection to the widespread environmental damages in
their battle with Jakarta.
"The disease, the abhorrent odor and the polluted ground
water... need I say more?," said one housewife, Nursanti, when
asked about her concerns over the possibility of reopening Bantar
Gebang.
Another resident, also vehemently objecting to the plan,
argued that Jakarta would be incapable of properly managing the
dump without overlooking all the environmental issues.
"Perhaps we (the residents) should stage a mass protest at the
Bekasi council office to stress our objection to the reopening,"
said Mardani Cholid.
The 104-hectare dump site was opened in 1986, and was intended
to be managed as an environmentally stable landfill system.
Instead, thousands of cubic meters of garbage had been simply
dumped and piled up in the open, causing all the problems.