Muara Gembong is threatened with environmental damage such as abrasion and waste pollution. EcoRanger prepares a sustainable waste management system as a solution.
Muara Gembong is one of the areas that has been badly affected by environmental damage due to abrasion and waste pollution. Environmental damage forces people to live with all the inadequacies of life. Therefore, many people stay because they do not have a place to live and other work outside.
Muara Gembong Hit by Garbage Pollution and Abrasion
Muara Gembong is a sub-district in Bekasi Regency, West Java. This is a coastal area adjacent to the Java Sea. The majority of local residents work as fishermen and fish pond owners.
Muara Gembong has potential natural tourism. This area offers the beauty of beaches and mangrove forests. When you are here, you must visit Muara Beting Beach, Muara Bungin Beach, Bahagia Beach, Mekar Beach, and Ecotourism Mangrove Forest.
The wealth of tourism and fishery potential does not guarantee the welfare of the locals. They lost a proper place to live due to abrasion and waste. Environmental damage threatens the economic well-being of its people. They lost their earnings because fishing and cultivation will not be productive in a polluted aquatic ecosystem.
Focusing on the waste problems issue, the Greeneration Foundation conducted a study on the potential for waste generation in Pantai Mekar Village, Muara Gembong. The results of the study found that this village with a population of 7,634 people produces around 1,145 tonnes of waste every day. If we calculate per household, each household produces 0.60 kg of waste per day. Most of the local waste is organic waste (35.27%) and plastic bags (29.89%).
Unfortunately, the huge waste generation is not in line with the availability of adequate waste management facilities and systems. Moreover, people’s knowledge about how to manage waste is still limited. It proves that there is no comprehensive solution from the government and community involvement in overcoming the waste problem in Muara Gembong.
Waste Problem Impact
The waste problem in Muara Gembong worsens the economy and public health, as well as coastal and marine ecosystem damage. The environmental impact affects humans.
Ecosystems damaged cause difficulties for fishermen to catch fish. Fish tend to avoid polluted habitats, so fishermen have to sail farther out to sea to catch fish. In addition, the damaged habitat also reduces fish populations. As a result, fishermen’s income decreases. It’s also happened to fish cultivation.
Waste that pollutes the residents also worsens people’s health. The unmanaged waste contains a lot of bacteria that cause many diseases such as diarrhea and skin disease. The garbage also gives off an unpleasant odor.
EcoRanger Presents Waste Management Solutions
Responding to the problems in Muara Gembong, the Greeneration Foundation through the EcoRanger program is trying to provide a solution. EcoRanger will implement a community-based sustainable waste management system.
In the developed system, EcoRanger will support the construction of waste management facilities, advocate for waste management regulations, develop the capacity of waste management institutions, educate the locals, and restore mangrove lands. We can see that this effort will involve the involvement of all parties, from the community, the locals, to the local government.
EcoRanger started this action with a kick-off agenda that was held on December 16th, 2022. This activity was carried out to launch the intervention. This event was held in the Pantai Mekar Village Office Hall, Muara Gembong, Bekasi Regency. The event was attended by the locals, community representatives, and local government representatives.
This project will run until April 2023 to have a more tangible impact. We are supported by AWS In Communities. This effort is part of EcoRanger’s mission of realizing sustainable tourism in Indonesia.