Viral Video of Blackened Opak River in Bantul Investigated, DLH Finds No Pollution

A video showing the water of the Opak River in the Watu Gajah area, Ngablak, Sitimulyo, Piyungan, Bantul, allegedly turning black due to pollution went viral on social media. The Dinas Lingkungan Hidup (DLH) of Bantul Regency has since conducted an inspection and found that the actual location is in Banguntapan, and the water condition is not polluted.

‘A video of the river condition circulated widely on social media on Saturday afternoon, 4 July 2026. The recording showed the water of the Opak River in the Watu Gajah area, Ngablak Hamlet, Sitimulyo Village, Piyungan District, turning pitch black and murky, strongly suspected to be due to waste pollution,’ stated the @jogja_admin account as seen by detikJogja on Monday (6/7/2026).

‘Based on the circulating video, the water colour was not as usual and appeared to flow darkly and evenly along that point. As of now, there has been no official statement from the Bantul Environmental Agency (DLH) regarding the source of the waste, the type of pollution, or its impacts,’ the account continued.

Head of DLH Bantul, Bambang Purwadi Nugroho, acknowledged that he had received the information and had immediately ordered his staff to check the location. ‘The DLH has checked the location to ascertain the condition and for anticipation,’ he said when contacted.

It turned out the location of the incident was in the Watu Gajah area, which is part of Combongan, Jambidan, Banguntapan, Bantul. Furthermore, the inspection results showed no pollution in the river flow. ‘The results were safe, there was no pollution,’ he stated. Based on documentation photos from the DLH, the river condition was quite clear with greenish water. The photo was taken on Sunday (5/7) afternoon. However, the DLH is still investigating the possibility of water pollution. ‘We are still looking into it further, if there are any developments we will convey them,’ he said.