Semarang DLH Checks Air Quality After The Jatibarang TPA Fire

SEMARANG - The Semarang City Environment Agency (DLH) will immediately monitor air quality around the Jatibarang Final Disposal Site (TPA), Semarang, after the fire.

Head of the Semarang City DLH Bambang Suranggono said the team would be deployed to monitor air quality after the cooling process at the Jatibarang TPA was completely complete.

"We will follow up, friends from the field including laboratories for air quality," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, September 20.

According to him, DLH also received assistance from the Great Semarang Eco Enzim Nusantara Community which provided "eco enzymes" to help reduce air pollution.

The liquid, he said, was mixed into water in a fire engine before it was sprayed to reduce air pollution.

"This liquid is mixed into water while cooling, the goal is to reduce pollution smoke. Currently, the air conditions are a little relieved," he said.

In addition, Bambang said that his party had also alerted at least six water tanker trucks to help cool down at the site of the former Jatibarang TPA fire.

"So (the car) of the fire department does not need to go out looking for water, we are alerting a tanker," he said.

Meanwhile, the Semarang City Fire Department continued to alert fire engines until the former fire at the Jatibarang Semarang TPA did not emit smoke.

"Yesterday (19/9), during the cooling conditions, we deployed eight fleets. That was for the second day," said Head of the Semarang City Fire Department, Nurkholis.

Entering the third day on Wednesday, September 20, conditions at the location have started to become conducive so that only two fire engines were deployed at the Jatibarang TPA.

"It was until the smoke completely disappeared. We adjusted the conditions in the field. As long as there was no more smoke, then we pulled it all out. But, if there was still smoke, we remained'stand by' at the location," he said.

Nurkholis said the cooling process for the former Jatibarang TPA fire took at least a week, given the high pile of garbage and methane gas content.

A fire hit the Jatibarang TPA area, Semarang City, on Monday (18/9) afternoon and only entered the cooling process on Tuesday (19/9) at around 04.00 WIB.

There are at least two burned zones in the Jatibarang TPA reaching five hectares. Each zone, one which is a former waste TPA that is no longer used and the former fertilizer factory zone under it.