Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – Jakarta may sink under a mountain of rotting garbage within a matter of days unless the city administration finds new appropriate dump sites for the 25,000 cubic meters of household trash that the city produces daily.

On Monday, the Bekasi administration closed Jakarta's dump in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, and only dozens of trucks managed to dispose of trash at the site before being banned by Bekasi administration officials. This means that far less than half of the city's total amount of garbage was disposed of on Monday, as 800 trucks are usually required to transport Jakarta's garbage every day.

This also means that most household garbage has been left to pile up, either at temporary dump sites in neighborhoods, or at transit dump sites scattered across the city.

City sanitary agency officials remain uncertain as to where to transport the city's garbage following the closure of Bantar Gebang dump, which was marked by clashes between scavengers who lived on the dump and local residents who demanded the dump's closure. The conflict resulted in the burning of two garbage trucks and the destruction of other vehicles by local residents.

City officials confirmed on Monday that most of the day's trash from the city had been left untransported as most garbage trucks were not in operation.

According to city officials, some new locations were preparing to be used while other possible locations were being scouted for. "It is still under discussion [of where to dump the trash]. Today, there are many garbage trucks parked at the office because it remains uncertain as to where to dump the trash," said Saman Rachmat, an employee of the city's sanitary office in South Jakarta.

The Bekasi administration insisted on closing the dump on Monday due to environmental degradation it caused to the surrounding area, not in 2003 as earlier agreed. Both disputing parties, the Jakarta and Bekasi administrations, failed to find a solution to the conflict after discussions, mediated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, ended in deadlock on Sunday.

Saman said some officials inspected on Monday a location in Gunung Sindur, Bogor, another alternative location to dump the city's garbage. He did not elaborate on the result of their visit.

An official at the West Jakarta sanitary office said that, in the meantime, they would direct small trucks to a dump in the Kapuk area, while larger trucks were to unload garbage at Kedaung, Tangerang. "But this will only be temporary, until we receive further instructions," said Ratmo Muhiddin, a member of the operational staff at the office of the West Jakarta sanitary agency.

The East Jakarta office will also be transporting their garbage to Kapuk, as well as to Sunter, North Jakarta and Tegal Alur in West Jakarta. Governor Sutiyoso announced earlier that garbage would be taken to Tegal Alur and Kamal Muara in West Jakarta, Cakung-Cilincing area in North Jakarta and Pulo Gebang in East Jakarta.

Clashes at the Bantar Gebang dump site on Monday left two garbage trucks burnt and 21 others damaged. Bekasi officials were recording license numbers and slapping stickers on some 40 garbage trucks entering the site when the clash broke out. The stickers declared Bantar Gebang out of bounds to garbage and all the trucks that bore the stickers.

Apparently provoked by the attitude of some locals, some scavengers burst out of the site and chased locals. A clash ensued, though, being outnumbered, the scavengers soon rushed for cover back at the dump site. Locals, armed with wooden sticks, iron bars and stones then went on the rampage. They set two trucks ablaze and destroyed 21 other vehicles parked near the sanitary agency building.

Boen, a supervisor at the location, said that about 500 local people gathered in front of the site and stopped two garbage trucks, forcing the driver to flee before torching the vehicles. They later stormed and ransacked the office and the other trucks, bulldozers and cars parked in the compound.

Some local residents said they could no longer tolerate the smell, noise and polluted water. They also objected to being the "garbage bin for Jakartans." "It has been agreed that, as of today, Bantar Gebang will be closed, so trash should no longer be brought here," said Wandi Suhardi, who along with his friends stopped a garbage truck.