Jatiwaringin Landfill Fire Emissions Allegedly Worsen El Niño

A devastating fire at the Jatiwaringin landfill in Tangerang, Indonesia, has raged for seven days, engulfing 80% of the 15-18 hectare site and compelling nearby residents to evacuate. This incident is being viewed not just as a localized disaster but as a stark indicator of systemic vulnerabilities in Indonesia's national waste management, particularly under the strain of the severe El Niño climate phenomenon.

Bondan Andriyanu, Manager of Advocacy and Outreach at CERAH, explained that the landfill fire and El Niño are creating a dangerous feedback loop. El Niño's prolonged dry season and extreme drought have rendered the accumulated waste dangerously flammable. Conversely, the massive fire releases substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, including methane (CH4), which has a global warming potential 21 to 28 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2). This exacerbates methane emissions already produced by fossil fuel combustion, intensifying the climate crisis and extreme weather events like El Niño.

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The Godzilla El Niño phenomenon is an alarm that the climate crisis is becoming more real. El Niño is indeed a natural phenomenon, but its impacts are now far more extreme due to climate change caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions, especially from the use of fossil energy. This condition is worsened by methane releases from improper waste management, including the fire that occurred at the TPA Jatiwaringin.

"The Godzilla El Niño phenomenon is an alarm that the climate crisis is becoming more real," Andriyanu stated. He emphasized that while El Niño is a natural occurrence, its impacts are amplified by climate change resulting from accumulated greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from fossil fuels. This is further worsened by methane releases from improper waste management, such as the Jatiwaringin fire.

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Landfill fires actually occur every year, and to this day, there has never been a systematic risk mitigation and anticipation program from the government. The central government must assist provincial and city/district governments in allocating adequate annual funds for landfill operational management, so that fire risks can be minimized and transboundary pollution can be prevented.

Yuyun Ismawati, Senior Advisor at Nexus3 Foundation, pointed out that over 400 landfills in Indonesia operate on an "open dumping" system, a method of open disposal without adequate management of gas and leachate. This system is highly susceptible to fires, especially during extended dry seasons. Fires have also occurred at other landfills, like Pakusari in Jember, highlighting a recurring problem. Ismawati criticized the lack of systematic risk mitigation and prevention programs from the government, urging central government support for provincial and local authorities to allocate sufficient funds for landfill operations and minimize fire risks and transboundary pollution.

Ismawati further called for stricter technical standards and enhanced air quality monitoring around landfills. This monitoring should extend beyond dust particles to include parameters like PM2.5, PM10, CO2, SOx, NOx, Total Suspended Solids (TSS), black carbon, heavy metals, and especially dioxins. She stressed the urgent need to tighten air quality standards in line with the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The current practice of evacuating residents only after fires have escalated is insufficient, indicating a reactive rather than proactive approach to managing these environmental and health hazards.

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Currently, resident evacuations are often only carried out after the fire has grown large.