DLH Lampung: Fires At TPA Bakung Have Not Affected Air Quality

Head of the Lampung Provincial Environment Agency Emilia Kusumawati when giving information regarding the impact of the Bakung TPA fire. (ANTARA/Ruth Intan Sozometa Kanafi)

LAMPUNG - The Environment Agency (DLH) of Lampung Province said the Bakung Final Disposal Site (TPA) fire had not significantly affected the air quality in its area. "Until now there has been no (large impact of the Bakung TPA fire on air quality in Lampung," said Head of the Lampung Provincial Environment Agency Emilia Kusumawati in Bandarlampung, Antara, Tuesday, October 17. He said that to this day the air quality index in his area is in moderate condition. "Lastly, the condition is based on the equipment at the office, in a state of not being dangerous and not having an impact on other areas," he said. He explained that his party had not received any information about residents' complaints about the impact of the fire incident. "Because it's a dry season, and there are indeed many plastics that are feared that the fire will spread. We have also spoken with the Bandarlampung City government that if we need water bombing, it will be facilitated, but they say it can still be handled," he said. According to him, currently in order to prevent the spread of the fire, a 1 meter deep excavation has been made around the burned area. "Based on information, a 1 meter deep excavation has been made so that it does not spread everywhere, because it is like the peatlands above have been extinguished but hotspots are still below it," he said. He hopes that the Bakung TPA land fire incident will be resolved quickly in order to prevent negative impacts on the surrounding community. The chronology of the fire at the most populous waste disposal site in Lampung Province on Tulung Buyut Street, Teluk Betung Barat District (TBB) occurred on Friday (13/10) at 17:50 WIB. The beginning of the burned area point was in the middle position of the TPA, and now it continues to spread until the last burned land area is almost 5 hectares and causes thick smoke that pollutes the surrounding air.

Today the Lampung Provincial BPBD has provided assistance in the form of a water supply of 15 thousand liters for handling fires at the Bakung TPA.