Walhi East Java: Benowo Landfill Fire Not an Ordinary Incident

Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) East Java has stressed that the fire at the Benowo Final Processing Site (TPA) in Sumberrejo, Pakal District, Surabaya, cannot be viewed as an ordinary incident. The fire, which lasted from 18:49 to 23:58 WIB on Sunday (19/7), burned through 900 square metres of waste in Block 1B, out of the Benowo TPA’s total area of approximately 10 hectares. Walhi East Java Executive Director Pradipta Indra Ariono stated on Wednesday (22/7) that the incident demonstrates a failure in waste handling that endangers public safety. The Benowo TPA is one of Indonesia’s largest Waste-to-Energy Power Plant (PLTSa) projects, capable of processing 1,000 to 1,600 tonnes of waste per day from Surabaya. Walhi East Java argues that local governments should no longer use open dumping systems, as mandated by Law Number 18 of 2008 on Waste Management, because such systems produce flammable methane gas (CH4). The organisation noted that the Benowo fire was not an isolated incident, referencing a similar fire at the Pakusari TPA in Jember on 4 July 2026 that scorched 500 square metres of land. Walhi contends these events reveal a failure in waste governance that heightens disaster risk, particularly amid the climate crisis and heatwaves that can ignite mountains of rubbish. The group also assessed that the presence of the PLTSa, which uses thermal technology, has not comprehensively solved the waste problem. The fire shows that the facility does not eliminate fundamental issues such as high waste volumes entering the site, continued reliance on landfilling, and weak efforts to reduce waste at the source. Lucky Wahyu, Head of Advocacy and Campaigns for Walhi East Java, asserted that building high-tech infrastructure is insufficient to resolve the waste crisis, stating that the root problem is high waste production and weak source-reduction policies. He warned that as long as the waste management paradigm relies on dumping and burning, the risk of ecological disasters like fires will persist. Walhi East Java is urging the provincial government to evaluate all landfills still using open dumping systems and to implement a comprehensive waste management system from upstream to downstream to prevent future ecological disasters. The fire at the Benowo TPA broke out on Sunday evening (19/7) and was extinguished by joint officers. The Head of the Surabaya Fire and Rescue Service, Laksita Rini, corrected initial speculation, confirming the cause was not flares from a nearby football match at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium.