Tangerang Environment Agency Mitigates Landfill Fire Risk Amid Extreme Weather

The Tangerang City Environment Agency (DLH) in Banten is carrying out mitigation efforts to ensure three regional strategic projects and waste management at the Rawa Kucing landfill (TPA) run smoothly amid extreme weather, preventing potential fires. Head of DLH Tangerang City, Wawan Fauzi, stated on Sunday that the ongoing projects include the revitalisation of the wastewater treatment plant (IPAL), the revitalisation of the methane gas utilisation system, and the construction of a waste recycling centre (PDU). Meanwhile, the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) waste processing operation at the Rawa Kucing TPA is also running smoothly. ‘We have inspected the field directly and coordinated with those in charge to ensure that all work prioritises safety and that we jointly prevent disasters such as fires,’ said Wawan. This effort follows a circular from the Ministry of Environment warning all regional governments to be prepared and alert to anticipate landfill fires due to extreme weather phenomena. Head of the TPA Management and Waste Retribution Technical Implementation Unit, Risdiana Setiawan, added that scavengers have been educated not to light fires for any purpose in the landfill area to prevent fires, as dry waste catches fire very quickly from sparks. The agency has formed a mitigation team on duty 24 hours a day to patrol, detect hotspots, and conduct early handling if potential fires are found. DLH is also covering waste piles with soil to reduce the risk of fire from methane gas, routinely spraying water on areas with potential temperature increases, and clearing dry grass that easily ignites during dry weather. Additionally, large-capacity water tanks have been prepared and infiltration ponds normalised to ensure water supply in emergency conditions. This follows a previous visit by Deputy Minister of Environment Diaz Faisal Malik Hendropriyono to the Jatiwaringin TPA, where he noted that the Minister of Environment had issued a circular to regional heads to anticipate TPA fires, following a warning from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) about El Niño from July to September.