After The Fire, Waste Scavenger Activities At The Rawa Cat TPA Are Prohibited

The City Government and the Police have banned all activities of scavengers on top of the garbage mountain because it is still in the process of being extinguished. (ANTARA)

TANGERANG - Tangerang City Satpol PP Banten Province in collaboration with the Police carried out surveillance, stopped and banned the activities of scavengers on the Rawa Cat TPA waste mountain (final disposal site) because it was still in the process of being extinguished by personnel and to avoid another fire.

"The activity of garbage scavengers in the Rawa Cat TPA has been stopped until the smoking ban in the area is enforced, in order to anticipate things that are not desirable," said Tangerang City Satpol PP Head Wawan Fauzi, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 30.

He acknowledged that many scavengers were found to be stubborn by the regulation and endangered themselves because they climbed into the mountains of garbage, which still had the potential to fire return. This interferes with the outage activity, which is currently still working to cool down.

Therefore, the Tangerang City Satpol PP carried out sweeping (cleaning) for 24 hours and deployed 30 officers to surround the outskirts, to the top of the TPA garbage mountain.

"We urge scavengers not to be in the TPA area for a while, as long as the area is still being handled by officers," he said.

He also explained that sweeping was also carried out as an anticipatory measure against the disturbance of scavengers in the activities of hundreds of extinguishing officers at the Rawa Cat TPA.

"It is possible that the fire will reappear when anyone in the Rawa Cat TPA area smokes and throws away cigarette butts carelessly. These are the things we anticipate," he said.

Sweeping officers have also dismantled the hut on the mountains of the Rawa Cat TPA, which is thought to belong to scavengers as a resting place.

"We are trying to sterilize the Rawa Cat TPA from interference, which has the potential to cause another fire or disrupt the movement of officers in the extinguishing process," he said.

Meanwhile, the Tangerang City Metro Police Chief, Kombes Pol Zain Dwi Nugroho, stated that the police had also gone to the field to participate in monitoring and controlling scavengers in all TPA areas. Because indeed, scavengers are still prohibited from entering the Rawa Cat TPA area.

He also emphasized that if scavengers are found who do not heed the appeal for the ban, his party together with the Tangerang City Satpol PP will take action.

"We have been reminded humanely and persuasively, if there are still activities, the Satpol PP will take information because it disturbs order. We hope that the public understands this situation in order to speed up the process of handling and extinguishing fires at the Rawa Cat TPA," he said.

About 80 percent of the 34 hectares of the Rawa Cat Final Disposal Site (TPA), Neglasari District, Tangerang City, Banten, caught fire on Friday last week. Now, hundreds of personnel are still trying to cool down repeatedly, until it is confirmed that the Rawa Cat TPA has been completely extinguished.

The Rawa Cat TPA fire has become a regional emergency disaster response status in accordance with the issuance of the Mayor's Decree until November 2, 2023.