Enviro News Asia, South Tapanuli — Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) orders the suspension of mining, plantation, and hydropower activities in the upstream areas of the Batang Toru and Garoga watersheds after major floods and landslides struck South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on 5 December 2025. Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq conducts aerial and ground inspections to verify the causes of the disaster and assess the contribution of business activities to rising ecological pressure.
The minister visits PT Agincourt Resources, PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (PTPN III), and PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy (NSHE), operator of the Batang Toru hydropower project. Following field findings, the government mandates all three companies to halt operations and undergo immediate environmental audits to curb upstream degradation in this ecologically critical watershed.
Minister Hanif announces that the operational halt takes effect on 6 December 2025 and confirms that all companies are summoned for official examination on 8 December in Jakarta. He states that the Batang Toru and Garoga watersheds hold essential ecological and social functions that must not be compromised.
KLH/BPLH’s Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement, Rizal Irawan, reports that helicopter surveillance reveals extensive land clearing for hydropower construction, industrial plantations, mining, and oil palm expansion. He explains that these activities intensify erosion and wood debris flow, amplifying flood impacts. The ministry will expand monitoring across Batang Toru, Garoga, and other watersheds in North Sumatra.
Minister Hanif stresses the urgency of a comprehensive evaluation of all business activities operating under extreme rainfall conditions that now exceed 300 mm per day. He emphasizes that environmental recovery must be approached at a full landscape scale, involving damage assessment, legal review, and the potential for criminal proceedings if violations are proven to exacerbate the disaster.
KLH/BPLH strengthens verification of environmental approvals and spatial compliance for all activities in steep-slope areas, upstream catchments, and river corridors. The ministry confirms that law enforcement measures will proceed whenever operations are found to heighten disaster risk. Further field verification will continue for other companies suspected of contributing significantly to environmental pressure in Sumatra. (*)
