Stink aries as uncollected waste piles up

Panca Wahyudi, 35, has spent almost a month reading newspapers or doing crosswords at Lesty Copy Center.
His photocopy shop, opened two years ago near the campus of Bandung Institute of Technology on Jl Taman Sari, has recently received fewer and fewer orders.
This is not due to high prices or the quality of his copying and book binding service. "It's because of the numerous flies and the stinking dump near here. Hardly any customers come any more," said Yudi one morning.
The flies and offensive smell come from the 2.5-meter-high pile of garbage at the Taman Sari dumpsite, located less than five meters from his shop. His daily income is thus considerably reduced.
"Previously, I took around Rp 400,000 daily. Nowadays, hardly anyone comes for copying, book binding or to buy stationery. So far I've secured only four photocopy orders," complained Yudi, adding that this was the second occurrence since April 2004, when the local dump remained unemptied for two weeks.
He is luckier than 30 chicken and vegetable sellers previously located at Cihaur Geulis market, Cikutra. They had to close down because of the mounting mass of rubbish that covered half the yard in front of the market.
"Strangely, we still have to pay garbage collection fees on a daily basis," said Yono, a food vendor from the same market, who is charged Rp 1,000 a day.
Nevertheless, he feels more fortunate than the chicken sellers, despite his lower income. Yono, claiming previously to have earned Rp 100,000 a day from selling food, has, since the garbage problem, taken home only Rp 30,000 a day. "The rubbish comes not only from this market but also from household kitchens in the local neighborhood," he indicated.
The growing mass of refuse is found not only at these two spots, but has spread to over 189 temporary dumps in Bandung. This is because the municipal sanitary company, PD Kebersihan Kota Bandung, no longer carts it away.
Garbage collection ceased upon the expiry of the operating license for Cicabe municipal dump.
Piles of garbage up to three meters high, teeming with maggots and producing a pungent odor, can be seen on several major roads in Bandung such as Jl. Cihampelas, Jl. Pasteur, Jl Cilaki, Jl Jend. Sudirman and Jl. Kiaracondong. Rubbish heaps also line smaller streets around residential areas. "Two hundred cubic meters of refuse have not been collected thus far," said Awan Gumilar, director of the sanitary firm.
While disrupting the local economy and creating an eyesore, the piles of garbage have also had a major impact on the health of Babakan Sentral primary school students in Kiaracondong district, Bandung.
"Many of them have been nauseous, dizzy, feverish or have vomited," said Tursida, the school principal. Worse still, four of the ailing students were absent for three days. Tursida reckons the students' complaints have been triggered by the mass of waste less than 10 meters from the school entrance on Jl Terusan PSM 2, Kiaracondong, Bandung. It has piled up to a height of five meters, with its dreadful stench and thousands of flies.
PD Kebersihan has sprayed lime and citronella oil on it and covered it with a tarpaulin to reduce the smell and number of insects swarming into classrooms.
The Bandung health office has also distributed masks to 10 classes of students at four state primary schools, SD Babakan Sentral I, II, III and IV. Established in 1979, the schools have a total of 760 students.
The ill health of the students is the net result of the dump's presence since 1990. Meanwhile, the number of students is falling as the rubbish grows. In Tursida's school, last year's enrollment was only half the available capacity.
Awan said that Bandung, known many years ago as the "Paris of Java", produced 7,500 cubic meters of garbage dumped by 2.5 million citizens. "About 5,000 cubic meters is household rubbish," he added.
He admitted that the current mess was Bandung's worst since a landslide of thousands of cubic meters of waste from Leuwigajah waste disposal site in Cimahi on Feb. 21, 2005. "We have sought 22 locations as dumps but have failed to secure one."
The municipal administration has also attempted to dispose of its rubbish into several old municipal dumps now left idle. But agreement with local residents to use the Jelekong, Pasir Impun and Cicabe tips has not yet been reached.
Consequently, PD Kebersihan cannot transfer garbage from waste collection points to tips. Previously, the Citatah tip in Bandung regency served as a municipal dump. However, local resistance later overwhelmed the bureaucracy.
"Attempts to secure alternative sites as tips have been hampered by local communities. The municipal and regency administrations of Bandung and Cimahi are ready to help solve this garbage issue," said Maman Suparman, Bandung's municipal secretary.
The only practical solution adopted by city authorities has been to display banners saying "Bandung faces waste disposal difficulties; reduce garbage from households and other sources".