West Java DPRD Accelerates Drafting of Environmental Management Bylaw

The Special Committee XV of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) is accelerating the drafting of a regional regulation (Raperda) on the Implementation, Protection, and Management of the Environment. This step is partly taken due to the high ecological complexity facing the province. Committee Chairman Jenal Arifin explained that several critical issues have emerged, such as massive land-use conversion, waste problems, and pollution of river basins (DAS). These concerns are under the spotlight, necessitating strong and applicable regulatory intervention. “For example, we went directly to Bogor to fully grasp the reality of the situation on the ground. Apart from waste issues and DAS pollution, the uncontrolled rate of land-use conversion is also a real threat to ecosystem balance,” he said in Bandung on Monday (3/8). He added that this regional regulation must not be a mere formality but must serve as a solution to all these complex problems. In drafting this regulation, Special Committee XV is collaborating with various regional agencies, such as the Environmental Agency and the Water Resources Agency of Bogor Regency. This synergy is considered crucial to strengthen the four regulatory pillars: planning, supervision, control, and law enforcement. “We highly anticipate technical input from the relevant agencies to serve as material for in-depth discussion within the committee team. This regional regulation must sharpen the oversight function and give teeth to law enforcement, so that illegal land conversion and DAS pollution in Bogor and its surroundings can truly be controlled,” he asserted.