20 Children Sick Due To Waste Pollution, Pramono Stops Rorotan RDF Trial

The excavator operator transferred the trash to the waste processing machine at the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant Rorotan, Jakarta, Tuesday (25/2/2025). BETWEEN PHOTO/Sulthony Hasanuddin/Spt

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung decided to stop the trial operation of the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant Rorotan, North Jakarta.

This was the aftermath of dozens of children living around RDF Rorotan getting sick due to the smell of garbage being brought to the waste processing facility.

The diseases experienced by residents ranged from eye pain, coughing colds, vomiting, Bronchopneumonia, inspection of acute respiratory tracts (ARI).

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

Pramono admitted that there were still problems with the smell of garbage in the operation of RDF Plant before it was officially inaugurated. According to him, the smell of garbage is still smelled, so residents complain.

However, Pramono emphasized that this did not come from the processing process at RDF facilities, but from the accumulation and transportation of waste to the location.

"From the results of the commissioning that has been carried out for up to several days, actually for RDF Rorotan himself, the relative problem is that the community does not complain about it," said Pramono.

He explained that the problem arose because the timing management of the transportation did not comply with the provisions. Pramono said that the waste sent to Rorotan should only be accommodated for a maximum of two to five days.

Then, in practice, the transport was out of control until lindi water spilled on the streets and caused a pungent smell around the settlements.

"The problem is when the garbage is then mobilized or transported, the truck is not compact, so the water spills. And then this is what causes the smell," he said.

Therefore, during the temporary suspension of the commissioning process, Pramono also ordered the DKI Environmental Service to examine further the root of the Rorotan RDF pollution problem and resolve what the public complained about.

"I also ask that it be prepared up to a compact truck that can carry garbage to Rorotan. Because of the problem there," Pramono explained.

The RDF Rorotan facility is currently still in the testing phase. Later, RDF will process waste into alternative fuel for the cement industry. This waste processing is also used to reduce the volume of Jakarta waste which has been dumped into the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPST).

As many as 20 children living in RT 18 Cakung Timur, East Jakarta, experienced illness which was allegedly caused by air pollution from the Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) operational trial Plant Rorotan.

"That's right, there are 20 of my residents who have experienced various air-related diseases. That's just from my RT, not including other areas," said Head of RT 18 Cakung Timur, Wahyu Andre Maryono in Jakarta, Antara, Monday, November 3.