Environmentalists Urge Bandung Mayor to Stop PLTSa Project
24 October 2018 13:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WALHI) in West Java and its networks urged Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil to call off the waste incinerator project or Waste Power Plant (PLTSa). Among the reasons behind the rejection are that they believe such waste treatment would spread poisonous pollution through air, that it would costs too much, and potentially costs people’s money allocated on the regional budgeting plan (APBD).
Walhi Chairman Dadan Ramadhan said that his side has studied the project together with several experts in law, environment, and economy.
"The result is that we don’t want the project to be delayed, but want it to be canceled because it will cause so many adverse impacts,” Dadan said in Bandung on Sunday, August 31.
A member of Walhi in West Java, David Sutasurya said that incinerator is a waste-processing technology that is not friendly to environment, irrational, and will cause multi-crisis.
“The contamination of toxic substances, wasteful material and energy, a waste of public money up to Rp100,000 per year, and increase carbon emission,” David explained.
Walhi urged the mayor to review the whole plan of PLTSa project together with competent experts before signing the cooperation agreement with PT Bandung Raya Indah Lestari (BRIL) who won the tender.
Activists from Indonesia Toxic-Free Network, Yuyun Ismawati shares the same view towards the incinerator project. According to Yuyun, the waste incinerators in Indonesia has yet provided with national standard. Several countries in Europe that have implemented the system are starting to close down their incinerator since there is increase in cancer occurrences around the waste incineration location.
On the other side, Ridwan Kamil said that he is still studying the aspects of the project. He admitted that he cannot cancel the project since the Regional Regulation that regulates the PLTSa system implementation has been validated by the Legislative Council (DPRD) and there will be legal consequences if the project is called off.
ANWAR SISWADI
