Viral DLH Truck Accused of Dumping Waste into River, Pramono Bans Temporary Waste Collection Points in Jakarta

The Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov DKI Jakarta) has banned the existence of temporary waste collection points (TPS) in the capital city. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo emphasised that this decision was made after a video went viral showing a waste transport vehicle owned by the Environmental Agency (DLH) allegedly dumping its load into the Pesanggrahan River in the Tanah Kusir Cemetery area, South Jakarta. “Temporary collection points are not permitted, not allowed. Therefore, we will reorganise from the collection points, whether the waste will be taken to Bantargebang or to Rorotan,” Pramono said at Tosari Bus Stop, Central Jakarta, on Friday (27/3/2026). Pramono expressed gratitude for the viral incident as it provided material for evaluation by the Pemprov DKI. He assessed that the existence of temporary TPS causes various problems. “Regarding the Pesanggrahan incident yesterday, to be honest, I am grateful rather than sad. I am very grateful. Because of that, I finally decided that there should no longer be temporary collection points like that,” he said. He considered temporary collection points ineffective because they complicate waste management and increase costs. Previously, the DLH DKI Jakarta denied accusations that their operational truck was dumping waste into the Pesanggrahan River. The issue surfaced after a photo circulated on social media platform Threads showing a rubbish truck stopped near the river with its body raised as if dumping waste into the water. The photo was posted by the account @murwidianti and showed a small truck with the identification “UPK Badan Air Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Provinsi DKI Jakarta T.A. 2017”. In the image, piles of waste were visible on the slope between the road and the water body, raising suspicions of direct dumping into the river. The poster questioned whether dumping waste into the river was the DLH’s standard operating procedure. “Today I went to Tanah Kusir Cemetery. On the way back, my car was blocked by a small rubbish truck that was dumping waste into the river. The writing on the truck door was clearly visible, from the Environmental Agency. So the question is, is this how the Environmental Agency works? Dumping waste in the river?,” read the photo caption. In response, Dadang Cahya Rusdiana, Head of the Water Body Waste Handling Unit (UPSBA) of DLH DKI Jakarta, explained that the activity seen was part of official water body waste handling operations, not dumping into the river. Based on field investigations, the location in question is an official emplacement or temporary storage point owned by UPSBA in the Tanah Kusir Cemetery area, specifically in the Special Block. “We need to clarify that there was no dumping of waste into the water body. The activity observed is the official temporary storage process for waste from water bodies, and all operations at that location are well-controlled with one heavy equipment unit in place and daily routine transport to the Perintis emplacement,” Dadang said.