Indonesia seeks technology from Poland to address river pollution and landfill

A beach in Bali, Indonesia

Indonesia is facing deep environmental crisis due to pollution and ineffective management of domestic and industrial waste.

Big cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Yogyakarta struggle to manage garbage and other man-made waste, a recent report from Khabar Southeast Asia said.

Rivers get choked during rainy seasons, causing overflow and flood in nearby areas, like never before.

Recently Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya was quoted by Antara news agency stating that 75 percent of the major rivers in Indonesia are heavily polluted. Also 60 percent of the cause of the pollution was domestic waste, he added.

Apart from the residential waste, industrial sector also contribute for the pollution, Kambuaya said. Rivers are regarded as the most strategic places to dump waste.

A beach in Bali, Indonesia

The government is actively looking for ways to manage wastes and reduce pollution in cities.

Recently Environment Minister invited a delegation from Poland and conducted talks to cooperate on various environmental initiatives. The week-long visit focused on promoting environmental co-operation and green technological ties between Indonesia and Poland.

“We hope that through this co-operation we will have an increased ability to prevent and to manage various wastes,” Balthasar said after the talks.

Earlier in November, the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which the two countries agreed to cooperate on environment matters including climate change, air and water pollution.

Under the agreement, Polish government will offer Jakarta scientific expertise and technology for waste management, such as new methods of recycling solid and liquid waste.

Waterways apart, the municipal areas in Indonesia also face the threat of wastes. The volume of waste at landfills has now reached 200,000 tons per day, or 73 million tons per year, according to the Environment Ministry, Kabar reported.

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