Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Environment has called for the cessation of business activities suspected of causing environmental degradation in Sukabumi Regency, West Java Province. This request comes after the Ministry conducted field verification and discovered several serious violations contributing to floods, landslides, and the degradation of watershed areas (DAS).
“Development activities carried out without permits and environmental assessments are not merely administrative negligence, but a real threat to public safety and environmental sustainability,” emphasized Minister of Environment/Head of the Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, in a statement with Deputy of Environmental Law Enforcement, Police Inspector General Rizal Irawan, during a working visit to two disaster locations in Sukabumi, as reported on Tuesday (April 22, 2025).
Hanif stated that the flood disaster in Cijeruk Village is clear evidence of the impact of unlicensed development in the upstream area of the Cibadak River.
During the field verification in Cibadak, the Ministry of Environment and its team identified two business activities as the main causes of slope damage and increased water and sediment flow into the river. These were carried out by PT BSS and PT AH.
PT BSS was found to be clearing nearly 40 hectares of land for an ecotourism project. However, the road construction spanning 1.5 kilometers with a width of 10 meters was conducted without environmental documentation or business permits. Moreover, there was no management of runoff from the cleared land, increasing the risk of erosion and muddy flows into the river.
Meanwhile, PT AH was found to be constructing cabin hotels on steep slopes without environmental approval, and the access road was directly connected to the road built by PT BSS. The land clearing by the company was indicated as a cause of landslides at several points near the Cibadak River’s springs.
In Sukabumi, the Ministry also found several violations in mining activities by CV Java Pro Tam, CV Duta Limas, and in large-scale poultry farming by PT Japfa Comfeed.
CV Java Pro Tam has not been in operation since 2022 but left behind 4.74 hectares of post-mining land without reclamation, despite having deposited a reclamation guarantee fund since 2014.
“Based on the contrarius actus principle, the Ministry of Environment will request the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to order immediate reclamation,” he asserted.
CV Duta Limas was found mining zeolite and limestone at two separate locations without environmental documents or approvals. Additionally, the company failed to build sedimentation ponds, prevent erosion (which led to landslides), and did not monitor water and air quality.
PT Japfa Comfeed operates a 60-hectare poultry farm with 32 active chicken houses but has not obtained an Operational Feasibility Certificate (SLO), and its hazardous waste (B3) management is not fully compliant with regulations.
As a result, the Ministry of Environment has developed an action plan to temporarily suspend all business activities of PT BSS and PT AH until all environmental documentation and permits are fulfilled in accordance with regulations. Administrative and/or criminal environmental sanctions will also be applied for any proven violations that endanger ecosystems and communities.
“We can no longer tolerate development that disregards nature. When regulations are ignored and river headwaters are sacrificed for short-term profits, it is the poor downstream communities who suffer the consequences. We need responsible development that respects nature,” said the Minister of Environment.
