RRI.CO.ID, Tigaraksa - The Indonesian government has called for the immediate phase-out of open dumping following a week-long fire at a landfill in Tangerang Regency, Banten, which forced over 200 people to evacuate. Local government said they are still discussing ways to end the fire, including by weather modification.

The fire at the Jatiwaringin Landfill was first detected on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, and has burned nearly half of the landfill's 33-hectare area. As quoted by the regency government on its social media on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at least 232 people were displaced, and 210 people received medical treatment.

"A total of 72 cases of acute respiratory infections were recorded, but all were successfully treated at local Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) by doctors working in 24-hour rotating shifts," Regent of Tangerang, Maesyal Rasyid, said as he inspected the site.

"Alhamdulillah (All thanks to Allah), none of the patients required referral to the hospital," he said.

Regent Maesyal visited the landfill and the affected people with Indonesian Minister of Environment, Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat. He praised the swift response to the fire, noting that only 3.6% of the remaining hotspots were still active.

"This is a remarkable achievement. We hope that by tonight, or by tomorrow at the latest, all remaining hotspots will be reduced to zero, so the situation can be brought fully under control," he said.

The minister said the fire should be a "stark lesson" for regional leaders across the country, calling for measures such as regularly monitoring landfill sites from open burning and careless smoking, as well as ensuring firefighting units are on standby. He also said the government aims to eliminate open dumping within a year and replace it with other waste management methods.

"Our target is to eliminate the open dumping system within the first year and transition to safer methods, such as sanitary landfills or waste with bioplastic cover," he said.

Maesyal said the local government is in discussions with relevant authorities to carry out weather modification to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible. However, current cloud conditions do not yet meet requirements, according to the Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

"We have discussed the possibility of artificial rain. However, according to the Agency, the current cloud conditions are not yet suitable for weather modification operations. Nevertheless, we will continue our efforts and remain focused on the ongoing firefighting operations," Maesyal conveyed.