Highlighting The Depok Garbage Emergency, Commission IV Of The DPR: Old Issues, Should Be A Concern From A Long Time Ago

The Condition of the Cipayung TPA is Depok City, West Java. (ANTARA/Photo: Feru Lintara)

JAKARTA - Commission IV of the DPR reminded local governments (Pemda) to pay attention to handling waste management so as not to have a negative impact on the community. The DPR also encourages local governments to carry out waste processing effectively to avoid long-term consequences.

Regional governments need to prepare a waste management strategy in their area. It is not enough just to provide TPA, without comprehensive management because it can cause buildup which in turn causes many problems," said Member of Commission IV DPR RI, Daniel Johan Saturday, July 15.

Daniel then highlighted the incident of pile-up of garbage at the Cipayung TPA, Depok. The TPA has exceeded its maximum capacity to make garbage transport trucks queue every day when it comes to dismantling waste.

According to him, the problem of overcapacity of the Cipayung TPA needs to be addressed immediately because it can have a bad impact on the community and regions. Daniel also supports the efforts of the central government through the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) which disburses a budget of Rp70 billion to build an integrated waste processing site (TPST) in Depok.

"Actually, this Depok garbage problem has been around for a long time. It should have been a concern for a long time so that the problem doesn't drag on," he said.

It is known, the emergency Depok commotion of garbage echoed among the surrounding community until it went viral on social media. Overcapacity at the Cipayung TPA also caused the process of picking up garbage in a number of areas in Depok to be disrupted because garbage trucks that usually transport garbage to the Cipayung TPA had to stay overnight because of difficulties in lowering waste.

"Management of waste affairs can be overcome from upstream through local government policies. How the government invites people to reduce waste through regulations, such as reducing the use of single-use plastics," said Daniel.

The waste accumulation incident at Cipayung TPA has actually occurred since 2019. Cipayung TPA ideally accommodates 1.3 million cubic waste. However, in mid-2022, there are 2.5 million cubic garbage accumulating Cipayung TPA.

Sampah yang ditampung di TPA Cipayung pun mengalami penambahan hingga 100 ton setiap hari. Daniel menilai seharusnya ada antisipasi dari persoalan tersebut.

Kita berharap Pemda di seluruh daerah bisa fokus pada penanganan sampah. Karena urusan sampah bukan hanya terkait dengan masalah kesehatan tapi juga bisa berdampak di isu lingkungan dan persoalan sosial, tegas Daniel.

The problem of waste in Depok is known to be not only related to the overcapacity Cipayung TPA. In many locations in the area, a lot of garbage is found piled up, even including in the middle branch of Pancoran Mas river which is right next to Depok City Hall. The river flow was filled with garbage.

The legislator from the West Kalimantan I electoral district felt sad because the accumulation of waste occurred near the government office but was allowed to do so. Daniel assessed that the local government should have prepared a special budget from the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) to solve waste problems.

"No wonder Depok is called a waste emergency because in an area near the local government office alone garbage is not taken care of. This requires commitment from the Regional Head and his staff," he said.

Commission IV of the DPR in charge of environmental, agricultural and livestock affairs hopes that the local government can take waste management more seriously. Daniel said that the cleanliness of the city is one of the factors marking the progress of the area.

"So I ask each local government to prepare a special strategy for waste management and processing, from the smallest level, namely residents' households," he said.

Karena jika tidak ada penanganan dari daerah, pasti sampah akan terus menumpuk. Akhirnya meskipun dibuat TPST nantinya tetap ada masalah lagi. Belum lagi warga juga harus terkenak dampak baik masalah kesehatan, atau akibat bau yang tidak makan, imbuh Daniel.

Apart from Depok City, Daniel also highlighted waste management in DKI Jakarta. DKI Jakarta has made TPST Bantargebang a place for final disposal of household waste in the capital city.

However, since early 2023 the condition of the place has become increasingly worrying. The pile of garbage at the Bantargebang TPST has reached 16 floors. In fact, in 2021, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has stated that the TPST has reached its maximum limit.

"I also hope that the policies made by the provincial, city and district governments in the waste management strategy can be appropriate and reduce waste accumulation in every TPST and TPA. Do not let this waste problem drag on without a strategy to solve it," he explained.

Daniel said that pre-disposal management is needed in waste management. By reducing waste, both household waste to industrial waste, it is hoped that it can improve the environment for the future of residents to be better.

In addition, Daniel encourages the concept of TPST which is not only a landfill but also a place to process waste into organic and other processed fertilizers so as not to quickly overcapacity.

"So later, it will not only become a garbage storage area, but also become a waste processing place that becomes a more useful material by utilizing technology. For example, organic fertilizer, which is really needed by farmers because the middle fertilizer is difficult and expensive," said Daniel.

"Create regulations or go green policies that can reduce waste. Invite residents to be involved, socialize and educate so that the local government program can be well received and implemented by the community in a consistent manner," he concluded.