Enviro News Asia, Surabaya — Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, conducted a series of field inspections in Surabaya as part of the final evaluation for the Adipura Award, the national benchmark for municipal waste and environmental governance.
The visit aimed to ensure that environmental performance—particularly waste management—is assessed based on actual conditions on the ground, rather than focusing solely on city centres or designated protocol areas.
During the inspections, Minister Hanif observed that waste management performance in Surabaya’s main areas has generally shown positive results. However, he also identified persistent challenges in non-protocol and peripheral areas, including limited waste segregation at source, the presence of waste accumulation in river bodies, and the continued emergence of illegal dumping sites. These findings were recorded as key inputs in the evaluation process.
“The Adipura assessment does not only consider what is visible in the city centre. What matters is the consistency and quality of environmental management as a whole. Outlying areas must receive the same level of attention,” Minister Hanif stated.
According to the latest data, Surabaya generates approximately 1,811 tons of waste per day, of which around 1,779 tons per day are currently managed through existing collection, sorting, and treatment systems. With a population exceeding three million, waste management in Surabaya represents both a strategic challenge and a critical indicator of urban environmental health and quality of life.
The Minister emphasized that effective waste management requires active participation from local governments, communities, and businesses, with waste segregation at source identified as a key measure to reduce the volume of waste sent to final disposal sites.
KLH/BPLH reaffirmed that the Adipura evaluation process will be conducted objectively and calibrated against field findings, including results from unannounced inspections. This approach reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring that the Adipura Award genuinely represents real, consistent, and sustainable environmental performance at the local level. (*)
