Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Jakarta's neighboring cities has been irked by being named the nation's dirtiest in the Environment Ministry's annual cleanliness competition, officials said.
All of Jakarta's five municipalities won Adipura awards this year, a slight improvement over last year's haul of four awards.
The head of the Bekasi Environmental Agency, Dudy Setiabudi, said the judging process was unfair because organizers disregarded the fact that Jakarta dumped its waste in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi.
Jakarta's production of 6,000 tons of garbage each day contributed to making Bekasi a dirty city, Dudy said Friday.
"We have tried our best to make Bekasi beautiful but we cannot stop scavengers in Bantar Gebang who pile sorted garbage up on the side of the road outside the dump complex," he said.
Bekasi was also named dirtiest city last year. "With our all-out work, we were actually very confident of winning an Adipura award or at least improving our ranking this year," he said.
The ministry, organizer of the Adipura awards, announced the winners of the cleanest and greenest cities competition Wednesday.
The judges assessed the condition of housing complexes, including in slum and coastal areas. They also assessed public facilities such as roads, traditional markets, schools, hospitals, city parks, bus terminals, railway stations and water and waste management facilities.
Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim also protested against his city receiving the dirty label, saying he believed Tangerang deserved the awards more than Jakarta.
"We didn't win an Adipura award but Tangerang is not the dirtiest city (in Indonesia)," he told Tempointeraktif.com.
Meanwhile, green activists from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and the Jakarta Resident's Forum (Fakta) were shocked by Jakarta's success.
"Jakarta is absolutely not eligible for the awards," said Hasbi Azis, head of research and policy at Walhi's Jakarta chapter.
He said the city administration was unable to handle its own waste. "It's true the city's main streets such as Jl. Sudirman are cleaner but what about housing complexes in slum areas? There are still huge amounts of waste dumped in random places," he said.
Fakta's chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan also voiced similar concerns. "How can it be? It seems the jury of the Adipura awards are blind to the real facts about Jakarta's environmental condition," he said.
Noted urban planner Darrundono however, expressed optimism about the result, saying it could encourage city leaders to make improvements. "Previously, I was pessimistic about the competition. But after I joined the panel of judges last year, I realized its positive impact on the environment," he said.