TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsSurakarta landfill crisis highlights Indonesia’s growing waste problem
Andri Priyatno, head of a local neighborhood unit, said landfill operators have spent the past two months dumping waste in the eastern section of the facility, dangerously close to residential areas. At its nearest point, the dumping site is only about 20 meters from homes.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Overloaded: Scavengers collect trash at the Putri Cempo final dump site (TPA) in Mojosongo, Surakarta, Central Java. The Surakarta administration has planned to use TPA Putri Cempo as an electricity producing waste processing plant. (thejakartapost.com/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
R
esidents have complained of foul odors and air pollution as the waste crisis at the Putri Cempo landfill in Surakarta, Central Java, worsens, marking the latest in a growing number of regions facing waste emergencies nationwide.
Andri Priyatno, head of a local neighborhood unit, said landfill operators have spent the past two months dumping waste in the eastern section of the facility, dangerously close to residential areas. At its nearest point, the dumping site is only about 20 meters from homes.
“The landfill has run out of space, so they are dumping waste near residential areas. Residents no longer know how to cope with the stench coming from the landfill,” Andi said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
The stench is reportedly the strongest in the late afternoon and evening. Some residents have even been forced to temporarily leave their homes as they were unable to endure the conditions.
In addition to the odor, Andri said residents have also been affected by air pollution from a waste-to-energy (WtE) facility operating within the landfill. He said the facility’s chimney is too short, allowing ash from the combustion process to drift into nearby homes and further degrade environmental conditions.
“The pollution is severe. White smoke from the WtE facility enters residents’ homes and turns into very fine ash that settles indoors,” he said.
Andri said residents have repeatedly complained to the city administration about the persistent odor and air pollution, but their concerns have gone unanswered.
