Huge waste landfill in Indonesia has been burning for eight days

A massive landfill located on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, «Jatiwaringin» has been burning for eight days, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes. So far, the fire has covered more than 15 hectares, blanketing the area in thick, toxic smoke. This was reported by BBC .

Health authorities reported a sharp increase in respiratory illnesses due to air pollution. Firefighters have deployed helicopters, specialized water tankers, bulldozers, and drones to extinguish the blaze. Experts hope to fully contain the fire by the end of the week. Environmentalists describe the incident as another severe consequence of the country's waste problem and a clear example of an ecological crisis.

It is reported that the fire started from a small spark on June 30. Later, driven by strong winds, the fire spread rapidly, engulfing areas where waste was piled high and which were difficult for firefighters to reach.

For a week, black smoke rising from the landfill covered nearby residential areas. According to the Ministry of Environment, air quality has deteriorated to dangerous levels, although the situation has improved slightly in recent days.

Sarmanah, a 45-year-old local resident, said she was forced to move to a safe place with her child because toxic smoke had filled her home.

«The smoke was so thick that you couldn't see anyone. It stings the nose, causes coughing, and makes breathing difficult. That's why we had to leave our home,» she said.

Hundreds of other residents have been placed in temporary shelters organized by the local government. A 37-year-old woman named Tosiyani stated that they have not yet been allowed to return home due to toxic gases in the smoke.

Doctors have examined at least 234 citizens whose health deteriorated due to the fire. Acute respiratory infections were diagnosed in 72 of them.

Even now, pockets of fire remain within the waste piles in the western and southern parts of the landfill. Johan Darmawan, a representative of the National Disaster Management Agency, said that extinguishing the fire is quite complex because it is burning deep within the layers of waste.

Officials have not yet announced the exact cause of the fire. However, the Indonesian environmental NGO WALHI suggests that methane gas generated by the decomposition of organic waste may have caused an explosion. Experts emphasize that this situation is a consequence of the country's unregulated open waste landfills.

Local residents had long complained about the constant foul odor, swarms of flies, and the risk of waste landslides in the area even before the fire. Environmentalists believe that hot weather and climate change are turning such landfills into «powder kegs» that could ignite at any moment.