Waste Pile Collapse at Bantargebang TPST Closes 40-Metre Stretch of Ciketing River

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung expressed deep condolences over the collapse of a waste mountain at Zone 4 of the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Facility (TPST) that killed four workers on Sunday 8 March at approximately 14:30 WIB.

Pramono explained that the landslide at Zone 4A was strongly believed to have been triggered by extreme rainfall lasting an extended duration that struck the Bekasi area and surroundings. This caused the accumulated waste to shift or slide.

“The incident was triggered by very heavy rain that lasted for a long time. The already high pile of waste eventually experienced sliding or landslide, which closed the operational road and the Ciketing River,” said Pramono at Jakarta City Hall on Monday 9 March.

As a result of the shift in waste material from Bantargebang TPST, approximately 40 metres of the Ciketing River’s flow has been completely blocked. This has become a priority for management to prevent water overflow or new environmental problems in the area surrounding TPST Bantargebang.

Pramono assured that the Jakarta Provincial Government immediately deployed an emergency response operation through the Environmental Services Agency. Swift action was taken to stabilise the area so that waste management services from Jakarta could be quickly restored.

The handling operation at the location involved an inter-agency joint team to accelerate the evacuation and cleaning process. Teams involved included the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Metro Jaya Police Regional Office and the Indonesian Military (TNI), Jakarta and Bekasi City Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD), Fire and Rescue Services (Gulkarmat), and local area officials.

To date, officers remain in the field conducting further mitigation to prevent secondary landslides, given that rainfall in the Greater Jakarta area is predicted to remain high in the coming days.