Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia has sealed three steel smelting companies in Serang Regency, Banten Province, for directly releasing emissions into the air without proper treatment.
This enforcement action is part of the Ministry’s commitment to upholding environmental law and protecting the public’s right to clean air.
The three sealed companies are PT Citra Baru Steel (PT CBS), PT Crown Steel (PT CS), and PT Sinta Baja Jaya (PT SBJ), all of which operate in the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate.
The sealing was conducted by the Deputy Minister of Environment/Deputy Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLH), Diaz Hendropriyono, together with the Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement, Inspector General Rizal Irawan, following the discovery of serious violations of industrial emission management regulations.
“This is a concrete demonstration of KLH/BPLH’s commitment to taking firm action against industries that pollute the air. We will not remain silent while the people of Greater Jakarta are exposed to dirty air due to industrial negligence and violations,” stated Deputy Minister Diaz Hendropriyono in an official release.
The investigation revealed that PT CBS, with a production capacity of 270,000 tons per year, used only a portion of its available chimneys, while the majority of emissions from its smelting furnaces were released directly into the air without control.
PT CS, which had been warned since 2023, failed to comply with KLH/BPLH recommendations and operated with only one chimney for a 30,000-ton-per-year capacity, releasing untreated emissions into the air.
“This is no longer a mere administrative violation but a dangerous act of negligence affecting public health. Given the repeated offenses, we will pursue more severe legal action,” said Inspector General Rizal Irawan, Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement.
The most severe case was found at PT SBJ, which operates 12 smelting furnaces with a total capacity of 8,816 tons per year but has no chimneys at all. All emissions were released directly into the environment without any form of treatment.
The Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement has ordered a complete halt of all production activities and will continue monitoring to ensure that operations do not resume until environmental requirements are met.
This action is part of KLH/BPLH’s broader effort to improve national air quality by cracking down on industries that neglect their obligations to control air pollution. The government calls on all business actors to comply with environmental laws and regulations to safeguard public health and environmental sustainability. (*)
