City to continue with Sunter waste facility plan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Mon, November 05 2012, 5:14 PM

Newly elected Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo says the city administration will continue the previous administration’s plan to construct an intermediary waste treatment facility (ITF) in Sunter, North Jakarta.

“We will continue with the plan. We are scrutinizing it now,” Jokowi told reporters after a meeting with the city’s sanitation agency at City Hall on Monday.

The agency’s chief, Eko Bharuna, said that the city would accelerate the plan in compliance with the governor's request. The tender to select company that will manage the facility is slated to be held by December and construction is scheduled to begin in January.

Eko said that the project was currently being audited by the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) as the project’s supervisor.

“This is a big project, it’s better to have it audited now rather than to find a problem later,” he said.

The project was suspended in September after three bidders in the tender failed to present bank statements showing sufficient funds. The bidders — PT Phoenix Pembangunan Indonesia, PT Jakarta Green Initiatives and PT Wira Gulfindo Sarana — are required to prove bank deposits of at least 30 percent of the project’s Rp 1.3 trillion (US$135 million) total budget.

The Sunter facility is part of the administration’s efforts to reduce reliance on the 110-hectare Bantar Gebang landfill. The new waste processing station is designed to process up to 1,500 tons of garbage a day.

Jakarta produces an average of 6,500 tons of solid waste a day. (aml/iwa)