Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – The Surabaya municipal administration has rescheduled waste disposal operations at the Benowo landfill to prevent the bad smell of garbage from disturbing the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Youth Championship, which the East Java capital is hosting from July 17 to 29.
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi said transportation of waste to the Benowo landfill in Pakal subdistrict would run until 10 a.m. at the latest on match days.
"If there is a match tomorrow night, for example, there will be no disposal past 10 a.m.," Eri said on Monday, as quoted by Antara, and that waste transportation would resume after the match.
Waste is usually transported to the Benowo landfill every day from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., except during certain events.
The rescheduling is part of the city administration's measure to prevent the smell from Benowo landfill reaching nearby Gelora Bung Tomo (GBT) Stadium, one of two key venues hosting the annual Southeast Asian soccer competition.
The other venue is Gelora 10 November (G10N) Stadium in Tambaksari subdistrict, Surabaya.
In addition to changing the disposal schedule, Eri said filtration membranes would be used to cover up the garbage at the landfill.
These are the same measures the Surabaya administration implemented during last year's U-17 World Cup.
Surabaya Environment Agency head Dedik Irianto said adjusting the schedule and covering up existing waste was part of the Benowo landfill's standard operating procedure.
The 19th AFF U-19 Youth Championship opens on Wednesday with two matches: East Timor vs. Cambodia and Indonesia vs. the Philippines.
This is the second consecutive year for Indonesia to host the AFF U-19 tournament after the 2022 edition, which Malaysia won. The 2022 tournament was held in Jakarta and Bekasi, West Java.