Sutiyoso confident Bekasi dump will remain open

Sutiyoso confident Bekasi dump will remain open

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fears that Bekasi will soon close its doors to the garbage of
millions of Jakartans were played down on Wednesday when Governor
Sutiyoso said he had the word of the Bekasi mayor that the city's
dump would remain open for another year.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Sanitation Agency was tightlipped about
the prospect of a waste crisis early next year.

There is still no signed agreement to extend the contract
between Bekasi and Jakarta on the use of the Bantar Gebang dump,
which expires at the end of this month.

But Sutiyoso said, "I have the word of the Bekasi mayor as the
top leader (in the municipality). Therefore, I do not foresee any
problems (with the extension of the contract)."

The governor only said that further discussions on
compensation for Bekasi were needed before an agreement could be
signed.

The dump was briefly closed in 2001 because of Bekasi's anger
over pollution. Jakarta, however, paid Bekasi Rp 22 billion
(US$2.59 million) in compensation and was allowed to continue its
use of Bantar Gebang in 2002. Jakarta has used the dump since
1986.

Earlier, the Bekasi municipality under mayor Achmad Zulfaih
said it would not extend Jakarta's contract to use the dump.
Sutiyoso also said Jakarta could handle the 6,000 tons of garbage
produced daily in the capital.

In June this year, Sutiyoso said the city would no longer use
the 104-hectare Bantar Gebang dump, claiming his administration
had prepared three separate locations for waste treatment
facilities.

However, only one waste treatment facility in Bojong, Bogor,
with a capacity of about 1,500 tons per day, will be ready by
January. Residents, however, oppose the presence of a dump in the
area.

Two other facilities in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, and on Jl.
Cakung Cilincing in East Jakarta will be ready by June 2004.

Meanwhile, Bekasi Deputy Mayor Mochtar Muhammad said it was
unlikely the mayor had guaranteed Jakarta the continued use of
Bantar Gebang.

"We will not talk about garbage with the Jakarta
administration. We will only negotiate if there is a guarantee
from the central government that Jakarta will comply with its
commitments," he said.

He said Jakarta had failed to regreen Bantar Gebang as stated
in a renewed agreement signed in early 2002. The agreement also
said Jakarta would build a water pipeline to avoid water
pollution in surrounding villages.

An official at the Jakarta administration, however, expressed
confidence that Bekasi would extend the agreement because "it's
only a matter of money" for officials and legislators.

Water and air pollution have been the main complaints arising
from the use of the Bantar Gebang dump. Analysts have blamed the
pollution on the improper implementation of the sanitary landfill
system.

A more environmentally friendly system is planned for the
future Bojong waste treatment facility in Bogor regency, using
bale press technology.