DPR Commission III Deputy Chair Backs Riau Police in Cracking Down on Palm-Oil Corporations Polluting Rivers
I wholeheartedly support this step. It is about time ecological or environmental damage in our country is treated as national losses, Sahroni told reporters on Friday, 22 May 2026.
Sahroni said the perpetrators’ actions could cause damage that is even greater. He also wants the corporations responsible for environmental pollution in this river to receive heavy penalties.
“Because this could indeed lead to disasters with costs far greater,” Sahroni said.
“If law enforcement applies this logic, environmental polluters could face heavy punishment,” he added.
Previously, the Riau Regional Police charged PT Musim Mas as a corporate suspect in a case of suspected environmental damage. The practices of Musim Mas are accused of making the Air Hitam River— a tributary of the Nilo River—polluted by palm-oil plantations along the riverbank.
The case was disclosed after the police received a complaint from the Indonesia Environmental Care Association (APLI) Riau in December 2025. In the complaint, APLI reported palm-oil plantations located just 2-5 metres from the riverbank.
The Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Riau Regional Police subsequently conducted an in-depth investigation. After a prolonged inquiry, the Riau Police finally named PT Musim Mas as a corporate suspect in a case of suspected environmental damage.
The police disclosed there are several ecological damages caused by palm oil planting along the river course within Estate IV, Division F of PT MM, Air Hitam Village, Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency.
Not only environmental damage, PT Musim Mas is also criticised for not taking into account the environmental impact assessment resulting from palm oil planting in the riparian zone.
The Riau Police Chief, Inspector General Herry Heryawan, is fully committed to taking action against both individuals and corporations that damage and plant palm oil in riparian zones. This firm measure is taken in response to the widespread damage to the river ecosystem caused by illegal expansion activities that ignore environmental regulations.
The police chief emphasised that the riparian zone is a protected area whose preservation is vital for maintaining water quality, preventing erosion, and minimising flood risk.
“We will not show favouritism. If there are corporations bold enough to plant palm oil up to the riverbank and damage the river basin, we will impose firm penalties in accordance with the law,” said Inspector General Herry Heryawan in his statement on Saturday, 17 May.