Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Talking about Bantar Gebang is talking about tangible mountain of garbage and environment challenges. As quoted by Eko Bharuna, Head of cleaning agency of DKI Jakarta province, Bantar Gebang is the biggest waste collecting place in Indonesia which collects 6.000 tons of waste per day. This data may show how the garbage is placed in this area with unpleasant scenery of ‘garbage mountain’ and how the people can stay within this area.
Garbage production in Jakarta is unequivocally gaining along with the increasing number of citizens, life style, and changes in consumptive pattern of the people. This fact can bring negative side due to the limited places to collect the waste from the whole Jakarta.
In Bantar Gebang, the mountain of garbage welcomes everyone coming to this place. This scenery is the usual thing happen in every waste collecting place but in Bantar Gebang everyone will see the real big mountain of garbage with the bulldozer placed at the top digging the garbage.
Set aside from the ‘mountain’, there are about 200 residents live in small houses. The residents are very accustomed with the smell coming from those tons of garbage. They live for more than 15 years under the job as waste collector.
Some problems come along with bad environment. When the smell of waste, bad sanitation, and unclean hands are being a usual thing for the people, it may bring harmful effects for the residence’s health. Participants of Indonesia Leadership Development Program Universitas Indonesia (ILDP UI) 2010 who did a social project in Bantar Gebang in this early of July found that most of the denizens have health problems, for instance, itchiness, asthma, dizziness, and cough.
Finally, the government is now facing a new era which the environment challenges and health status are being discussed. The people in Bantar Gebang hope that the government thrives the utmost improvement in environment management and health service instead of bury the case of ‘garbage mountain’ and the people.
Hafiza Elvira Nofitariani
Jakarta