Firm Action! Environment Minister to Revoke Environmental Permit of This Company, Don't Be Naughty!

The government has emphasised that it will take firm action against companies failing to comply with environmental conservation requirements, including the freezing of environmental approvals. Environment Minister/Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLH) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stated that the government has conducted detailed data collection on the activities of extractive companies in various regions, covering 14 provinces with a total of 1,358 company units. Hanif indicated that the government will implement strict measures against companies not meeting environmental stipulations, with one key indicator being the Surface Water Discharge Operation Permit (SLO) for surface water disposal. “Therefore, for those companies that have not yet obtained the Surface Water Discharge Operation Permit (SLO), we request permission to freeze their environmental approvals,” Hanif asserted at the 2025 PROPER Environmental Awards at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah on Tuesday (7/4/2026). Additionally, the government mandates that all businesses discharging wastewater into the environment must integrate into the reporting system known as SPARING, an online monitoring and reporting platform that enables real-time oversight of water quality by authorities. He added that this obligation is stipulated in applicable ministerial decisions and regulations. Through this system, the government can verify that water returned to the environment meets the established quality standards. “This is also something we request permission for, as it has been mandated in previous ministerial regulations; we will freeze environmental approvals for extraction activities, particularly coal extraction, mineral extraction, and natural resource extraction that alter the colour of our surface water,” he explained. Hanif stressed that this enforcement must be accompanied by company compliance with their environmental documents, ensuring that industrial operations proceed alongside the safeguarding of environmental quality.