Cakung Residents Inflamed: Rorotan Garbage Smell Makes 23 Children Sick, Pramono Must Be Responsible

JAKARTA - Jakarta Garden City (JGC) resident, East Cakung, East Jakarta, asked DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung and his staff to provide compensation for treatment for residents suspected of experiencing health problems due to the trial of the operation of the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant Rorotan, North Jakarta.

Head of RT 018 RW 014 JGC, Wahyu Andre, claimed as many as 23 children were sick during the Kommissioning RDF Rorotan process. The children are said to have ISPA, cough, runny nose, and eye irritation.

According to Wahyu, the health disturbance was allegedly caused by air pollution and the smell of garbage that was carried into residential areas.

"Where is the responsibility of the local government for the casualties of sick residents? So far there has been no apology, no compensation for medical expenses, and no communication from the DKI Health Office," Wahyu told reporters, Wednesday, November 5.

He also asked the DKI Provincial Government, especially the Environment Agency (DLH), to open an analysis of the environmental impact (amdal) of the Rorotan RDF project. Residents, said Wahyu, do not want to be victims if the project does not have security and environmental health guarantees.

"I have asked verbally in several meetings with RDF, it is always answered that it is still a process. I also ask officially through the PPID of the DKI LH Service since early August, but until now there has been no good faith to provide information on environmental amdals and traffic amdals," he said.

Responding to this, DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung decided to temporarily suspend the Rorotan RDF trial.

"I have asked the Head of the Environment Agency to temporarily stop the commissioning first," said Pramono in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, Tuesday, November 4.

Pramono admitted that there was still a problem with the smell of garbage in the trial phase of the facility. According to him, the source of the smell does not come from the processing process at RDF, but from the accumulation and transportation of waste to the location.

"The problem is when the garbage is mobilized, the truck is not compact, so the water spills. This is what causes the smell," he said.

During the temporary suspension period, Pramono ordered DKI DLH to conduct a thorough evaluation of the causes of pollution around the Rorotan RDF and improve the waste transportation system so as not to cause a smell.

"I also asked for a truck that was more compact to bring garbage to Rorotan, because the problem was there," he said.