Jatiwaringin Landfill Fire: Walhi Slams Systemic Failures

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) emphasizes that the fire at the Jatiwaringin Landfill in Tangerang Regency cannot be viewed as a regular accident. The fire, which raged from June 30 to July 2, 2026, has scorched over 15 hectares and triggered at least 154 cases of acute respiratory infections.

Walhi states that the disaster is a direct consequence of ongoing failures within the waste management system. The Jatiwaringin Landfill receives approximately 1,366 to 2,700 tons of waste per day, translating to 498,590 to 985,500 tons annually. However, this volume only covers about 59 percent of the total waste generated across Tangerang Regency, highlighting the immense pressure on the existing infrastructure.

Wahyu Eka Styawan, the Urban Justice Campaigner of Walhi National, asserts that the Jatiwaringin Landfill fire is part of a broader pattern of waste management collapses across various regions. According to him, this case is not an isolated incident but is structurally linked to the closure of the Cipeucang Landfill in South Tangerang, as well as recent landslides at the Cipayung and Bantargebang Landfills.

He explains that the fire was triggered by the accumulation of methane gas generated from decaying organic waste in an open dumping system, creating highly flammable conditions. "In this environment, poor waste management combined with the climate crisis, particularly heat waves, magnifies the risk of ecological disasters," Wahyu stated on Thursday, July 2, 2026.

Wahyu highlighted that a series of major blazes at several landfills throughout 2023, including Sarimukti in Bandung Regency, Rawa Kucing in Tangerang City, and Suwung in Denpasar, directly impacted over 13,000 residents.

He noted that those fires forced residents to evacuate, caused severe respiratory illness due to exposure to toxic smoke containing dioxins and furans, and disrupted daily livelihoods. This recurring crisis confirms that combining open dumping systems with methane gas accumulation is no longer just an environmental issue, but a humanitarian threat jeopardizing public health.

"This situation once again demonstrates the failure of both the central and local governments to implement the mandate of Law Number 18 of 2008, which required the cessation of open dumping practices by 2013," he stated.

"As long as methane continues to build up in open dumps and organic waste is left mixed with other materials, fires like this are not just a possibility, but a certainty. This is not an unforeseen event, but the result of improper waste management," Wahyu added.

Wahyu also criticized current firefighting tactics that rely solely on spraying water, whether through ground operations or water bombing, which fail to tackle the root of the problem. He explained that water cannot penetrate the deep hot spots within the trash mountain that continue to produce gas and burn beneath the surface.

A more effective approach would be smothering the waste piles with soil to cut off the oxygen supply and suppress methane release. "However, even this step will not suffice without systemic changes to the waste management model itself," he added.

In confronting this issue, Wahyu warned that the government must not resort to false solutions. "We see that the push toward Waste-to-Energy (WtE) development actually reflects a misguided policy direction," he stated.

According to him, this approach will not solve the problem of landfill fires because it does nothing to halt methane formation from the existing, massive waste piles. "Focusing on incineration and downstream technology only diverts attention from the root of the problem, which is high waste generation and a failure of management at the upstream source," Wahyu said.

For Walhi, the Jatiwaringin Landfill fire should serve as a stark warning to the central government, particularly the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, that this crisis cannot be managed through emergency responses or superficial fixes.

According to Wahyu, without reducing waste at the source, enforcing effective sorting, and setting up organic waste processing that prevents methane formation, landfills will remain hazardous accumulation zones waiting to trigger the next disaster.

"The fire at the Jatiwaringin Landfill is a reminder that as long as the root cause is ignored, the state will keep facing the same disasters, and citizens will continue to bear the consequences," Wahyu concluded.

Read: Air Quality Worsens in 5 Indonesian Cities, Walhi Urges Government Action

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