Environment Minister Issues Stern Warning, Investigates Fatal Bantar Gebang Landslide Tragedy
Jakarta — Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has stated that the collapse of a 50-metre-high refuse mountain in Zone IV of the Bantar Gebang Waste Management Centre (TPST) on Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 14:30 WIB constitutes irrefutable evidence of systemic failure in Jakarta’s waste management system.
The minister has declared that the incident, which claimed four lives, can no longer be tolerated. Those responsible will face strict prosecution under Law Number 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management. Criminal penalties range from 5-10 years’ imprisonment and fines of Rp5-10 billion for individuals whose negligence caused deaths.
Through his official Instagram account, Hanif expressed condolences to the victims’ families and stated that the tragedy should serve as an important lesson for all parties in improving waste management systems in their regions.
“This fatal tragedy is a stern alarm for the Jakarta Provincial Government to immediately halt open dumping waste management methods, which continue to threaten the lives of residents and workers,” Hanif stated in a statement released via the Ministry of Environment’s official website on Monday, 9 March 2026.
“The Ministry of Environment and its Technical Implementation Unit have now begun comprehensive investigation and firm law enforcement to ensure that Jakarta’s prolonged waste management crisis does not claim further lives,” Hanif asserted.
Bantar Gebang represents the tip of the iceberg regarding Jakarta’s waste management failure, Hanif noted. The site has accumulated 80 million tonnes of waste over 37 years. The use of open dumping methods at this location violates Law Number 18 of 2008, as current systems no longer adequately reduce safety risks to residents.
“These conditions, which do not comply with regulatory requirements, threaten not only human lives due to potential secondary collapses but also constitute a source of massive environmental pollution,” Hanif stated.
“This incident should never have occurred if waste management had followed proper procedures. Bantar Gebang must serve as a lesson for all of us to immediately improve systems for the sake of human safety and environmental preservation,” he added.
However, Hanif acknowledged that necessary measures cannot be implemented instantaneously but must be carried out in stages.
“We understand that the volume of waste entering Bantar Gebang now reaches approximately 8,000 tonnes daily. This situation cannot be changed instantly but must be implemented gradually,” Hanif posted on his Instagram account @haniffaisolnurofiq.
“I have already instructed Bantar Gebang to accept only inorganic waste, whilst all other waste must be sorted from its source,” he said.
According to Hanif, the government has launched a pilot waste management project in the Rorotan area, where processing facilities have been established but cannot yet operate optimally because incoming waste remains mixed.
“Various waste processing facilities are actually already available, such as Refuse Derived Fuel technology and partnerships with cement industry facilities with processing capacity of approximately 5,000 tonnes daily,” he said.
“I emphasise again the importance of involvement by all government components across Jakarta to immediately deploy personnel to implement the President’s National Waste Management Initiative,” Hanif stressed.
Beginning today, all local government components must deploy staff to conduct waste sorting from the source, he continued.
Hanif also stressed that despite advanced technology, household waste sorting remains the critical determining factor.
“Military and Police personnel are also ready to support these measures in accordance with the President’s instructions to the National Police Chief, Armed Forces Commander, and regional heads to jointly address the national waste problem,” Hanif said.