Protecting Water Resources by Sustainable Household Solid Waste Management in Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Solid waste has been recognized as a crucial environmental problem in many urban areas in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta. In fact, an underperforming solid waste management (SWM) is also expected to result in an increased risk of water pollution. This research aimed at exploring past and current efforts of territorial water protection in Jakarta, Indonesia, which had been attempted by changing society's behavior in managing solid waste at household level. To do so, this study applied literature reviews and interviews to investigate solid waste management of riverbank communities. According to a report on Environmental Statistics, there were 1.81% of households in the country's capital in 2014 who managed their solid wastes by primarily throwing them into waterbodies. Apparently, un-Transported solid wastes, which were those left lying on roadsides or empty lands, per day in the South Jakarta Region reached 8%. Those untreated wastes were expected to later end up in sewers, rivers, or the sea. In Srengseng Sawah, Jakarta, SWM has been conducted by non-governmental organizations, who received retributions from the people to transport household solid wastes. To overcome potential solid waste pollution in rivers, it is necessary to change community behavior to apply a more sustainable SWM in managing their household solid waste. This is strongly influenced by the availability of solid waste infrastructure and community awareness.