Residents oppose plan to reopen garbage dump
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The city administration's plan to reopen a garbage dump in Srengseng, West Jakarta, is being bitterly opposed by upset and bewildered locals.
They find it difficult to comprehend how the former garbage site, which was closed six years ago and has since been converted into a shady, green park with a fish pond, could once again become a polluted and unhealthy garbage dump.
Located in the middle of a high density housing compound, the park has functioned as one of Jakarta's 'lungs', as well as being a water-catchment area. Every week at least 1,000 people visit the park, contributing around Rp 600,000 (US$60) per month to the city's coffers courtesy of the entrance fee, according to Jaya, the park keeper, who is an employee of the City Forestry Agency.
It took the agency one year and Rp 4 billion to convert the site into the current parkland.
H. Muhayat, chief of a Srengseng neighborhood unit, recalled how his family and other nearby residents used to suffer as a result of their proximity to the dump. They had to contend with the smell of the garbage, and experienced diarrhea, dengue fever epidemics and flooding for five years before the dump was finally closed down following protests from locals.
"I will lead the residents in opposing the plan," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Other residents shared his sentiments. Satiri, 41, whose house is located just 30 meters from the site, vowed that she and her family would join the rally to protest the city's plan. Even the secretary of the Srengseng subdistrict administration, Rais bin Hasan, vowed to back the people.
If the former dump were to be reopened, many planters, florists and fishing equipment vendors operating in the park might lose their jobs.
The plan to reopen Srengseng dump was revealed after the Bekasi administration announced on Dec. 10 its intention to close the city's garbage dump at the 104-hectare Bantar Gebang site for environmental reasons.
Jakarta produces at least 25,000 cubic meters, or more than 6,000 tons, of household waste every day, but only 23,000 cubic meters can be transported to Bantar Gebang. The remaining waste is scattered on roadsides or dumped in rivers.
Jakarta governor Sutiyoso claimed his administration was prepared for the closure of Bantar Gebang, which has been used since 1986. It seems, however, that the administration's plans were not well developed.
Earlier, the administration said it had prepared sites in Srengseng and Cengkareng, West Jakarta. But on Wednesday, Sutiyoso said that garbage would be temporarily dumped in Srengseng and Kamal Muara in North Jakarta. No details about the condition of the sites were given.
According to the administration, the two sites would only be used for a few months. A private dump in Jonggol, Bogor was suggested as a long term alternative, even though this would mean the city would have to pay Rp 30 billion a year to rent the 40- hectare dump, which would be ready in March.
Meanwhile, a staff member of the Kamal Muara subdistrict administration said it would be prepared to support the plan to dump waste in the area as the site was located in the middle of an industrial estate, far from any housing compounds.
The city also plans to add 18 more incinerators to the current five, and to speed up its cooperation with PT Bio fertilizer Indonesia, which will begin converting trash into organic fertilizer next year.