A major fire engulfing the Jatiwaringin Landfill, located in Jakarta's buffer zone, has drawn international attention. Several prominent international media outlets highlighted this environmental disaster, even dubbing the landfill a 'burning trash mountain' due to the intensity of flames that have burned unextinguished for over a week.
A report from the BBC highlighted the damage spanning an area of 15 hectares. Thick smoke resulting from the burning waste reportedly polluted the air all the way to residential areas, raising serious concerns regarding air quality and health threats to nearby residents. Several families were forced to evacuate as the air became unbreathable.
One affected resident, Sarmanah (45), expressed her difficulty surviving amidst the surrounding smoke. She shared that exposure to the pungent smoke halted daily activities and caused physical ailments such as coughing and unbearable shortness of breath, forcing residents to leave their homes immediately.
On the other hand, Al Jazeera also highlighted the emergency response efforts conducted by Indonesian authorities. Their coverage featured intensive firefighting operations involving water-bombing helicopters deployed to tame the fires still smoldering deep within the trash piles.
Data from authorities confirmed the tangible impact of this disaster on public health. To date, at least 234 residents have undergone medical examinations, with 72 of them testing positive for Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) as a result of inhaling toxic air from the fire site.
