Enviro News Asia, Bandung — Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, has stressed that protecting the upstream ecosystem at the Cisanti Site, located at the foothills of Mount Wayang, is essential to ensuring the long-term recovery of the Citarum River.
During an official working visit to the Cisanti Headwaters—widely recognized as the zero point of the Citarum River—Minister Hanif emphasized that water quality and environmental health in downstream areas are directly dependent on the protection of upstream catchment zones. As the source of the longest river in West Java, Cisanti plays a strategic role not only as an ecological site but also as a vital lifeline supporting millions of residents.
“Cisanti is the source of life for the Citarum River Basin. If the upstream area is well protected, the environmental burden downstream will be significantly reduced. Safeguarding areas like this must be a shared priority,” Minister Hanif said during the site inspection.
He noted that Cisanti serves as the first natural barrier in maintaining water resilience across the Citarum watershed. According to him, environmental pressures in densely populated urban areas can only be mitigated if the river’s source remains protected from degradation. In this context, he underlined the importance of cross-sector collaboration under the ongoing Citarum Harum initiative to ensure that river restoration efforts are sustained from upstream to downstream.
Minister Hanif also highlighted that challenges facing the Citarum River Basin are not limited to industrial pollution but are increasingly driven by domestic waste and inadequate urban waste management systems. Therefore, the Ministry of Environment and Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) is committed to implementing environmental policies that are not only responsive to pollution impacts but also preventive, with a strong focus on protecting key ecosystems.
Strengthening governance in upstream conservation zones, he said, must go hand in hand with improvements in urban wastewater and solid waste management systems to create a healthy and sustainable environmental cycle.
The central government will continue to push for integrated programs to eliminate sectoral fragmentation in river management. Minister Hanif stressed that restoring the Citarum River requires long-term commitment and consistency in protecting every part of the watershed, from mountainous conservation areas to urban administrative regions.
“Environmental protection cannot be carried out in isolation. A protected upstream area, clean cities, and a healthy river are inseparable elements of a single ecosystem,” he concluded. (*)
