Environment Minister Hanif Investigates Fatal Landslide at Bantar Gebang
Jakarta – Indonesia’s Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has stated that the collapse of a 50-metre-high rubbish mound at Zone IV of the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Management Facility on Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 14:30 West Indonesian Time, represents clear evidence of systemic failure in Jakarta’s waste management.
Consequently, the Minister asserted, an incident that claimed four lives can no longer be tolerated.
Furthermore, Hanif emphasised that those responsible will face strict enforcement action in accordance with Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management. Criminal penalties ranging from 5–10 years imprisonment and fines of Rp5–10 billion apply to those whose negligence resulted in death.
Through a post on his official Instagram account, Hanif conveyed condolences regarding the Bantar Gebang facility collapse and expressed hope that the incident would serve as an important lesson for all stakeholders in improving waste management systems in their respective regions.
“This fatal tragedy is a stark warning for the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to immediately halt open-dumping waste management methods, which continue to threaten the lives of residents and field workers,” he stated in a statement released through the Environment Ministry’s official website on Monday, 9 March 2026.
“The Environment Ministry and environmental agencies have now launched comprehensive investigations and rigorous law enforcement to ensure that Jakarta’s long-standing waste problem does not claim further lives,” Hanif asserted.
Bantar Gebang, he added, represents the visible manifestation of Jakarta’s waste management failure, currently holding a critical 80 million tonnes of waste accumulated over 37 years. The use of open-dumping methods at this location, he noted, violates Law No. 18 of 2008 because the existing system is no longer capable of mitigating safety risks to residents.
“This non-compliant condition not only threatens human life due to the potential for further landslides, but also serves as a source of massive environmental pollution,” Hanif stated.
“This incident need not have occurred had waste management been conducted in compliance with regulations. Bantar Gebang must serve as a lesson for us all to undertake immediate reforms for the sake of human life and environmental protection,” he said.
On the other hand, he acknowledged that the necessary measures cannot be implemented instantly but must be carried out in stages.
“We recognise that waste input to Bantar Gebang has reached approximately 8,000 tonnes daily. This situation cannot be changed overnight but must be implemented progressively,” he said in a post on his Instagram account @haniffaisolnurofiq.
“I have already instructed Bantar Gebang to accept only inorganic waste, whilst all other waste must be segregated at source,” he stated.
According to Hanif, the government has initiated a pilot waste management project in the Rorotan area. The facility has been equipped with waste processing systems, yet operates suboptimally because incoming waste remains mixed.
“Various waste processing facilities are already available, including Refuse Derived Fuel technology as well as partnerships with cement manufacturers that have processing capacity of approximately 5,000 tonnes daily,” he said.
“I must emphasise the importance of involvement by all government components in Jakarta to deploy to the field immediately and implement the President’s directive under the National Waste Management Movement,” Hanif stated firmly.
Beginning immediately, he continued, all regional components must engage in fieldwork and segregate waste from source.
Furthermore, he stressed that whilst advanced technology is employed, waste segregation at household level is the decisive factor.
“The TNI and National Police are also ready to support this effort in accordance with the President’s directive to the National Police Chief, TNI Commander, and regional heads to jointly address the national waste problem,” Hanif said.