Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has criticized the planned construction of waste incinerators in the capital.

Executive director of Walhi's Jakarta chapter, Slamet Daroyni, said Tuesday the incinerators would pose a risk to the environment and public health. "The incinerators are not eco-friendly," he said.

The administration is studying the possibility of building incinerators in each of Jakarta's five municipalities. If built, the incinerators would be able to handle up to 4,000 of the nearly 6,000 tons of household waste produced in the city each day. Currently, all this trash is dumped in a Bekasi landfill.

The administration earlier attempted to build an incinerator in Bojong, Bogor, but protests by nearby residents forced the abandonment of the project.

Walhi also called on the House of Representatives to pass into law a waste management bill to resolve long-standing garbage problems in the country.