This evening I took my friend to Cibitung Market. It is a big marketplace for crops. You can find bananas, mangoes, vegetables, potatoes and many crops here with lower price. There are many retailers who buy some crops here. The transaction volume is billion of IDR everyday. The market is open 24 hours. The trucks usually unload in the morning around 1.00 p.m.
It is the biggest crops marketplace in Bekasi, West Java. However, the condition is not convenient. The streets in front of the stores are soaked with smelly water. The water is contaminated by the rotten vegetables and fruits. You should wear boots if you want to shop here.
Surprisingly, the traders and buyers are still here. They live here. It is not healthy market. The rotten fruits and vegetables continue to increase everyday. Rainwater will soak the rotten vegetables and fruits and cause a very bad smell.
The classic problem of traditional markets in Indonesia
Dirty market and smelly sewage systems are classical problems of traditional markets in Indonesia. I wonder why. There are no waste management in the traditional markets.
In my opinion, the problem is not only the waste management system but also the culture of the traders. They are ignorant to the cleanness. A lot of rotten fruits and vegetables scatter and are not thrown in the right place.
The government does not also care to the old problems. They hand off after they build the market.
Clean market pilot project.
The government should create a pilot project of clean and comfortable market. It should be managed well. The sanitation system should be designed together with the unloading areas. There should be waste management system that is organized by an institution that control the cleanness 24 hour. In the end, High transactions seem to have no value if there is no healthy and clean market management..