JAKARTA – Minister of Environment (LH) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the lawsuit against six companies related to flooding in North Sumatra showed that the government would not tolerate environmental destroyers who must be fully responsible for recovery.

“The environmental destruction that has occurred has had a major impact on the community, the loss of environmental functions, disrupted livelihoods, and disrupted security due to the threat of ecological disasters. The state must not be silent when the environment is damaged and the people must bear the consequences alone,” said Minister of LH / Head of the Environment Control Agency (BPLH) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq as reported by ANTARA, Friday, January 16.

He said this after the government officially through the KLH/Environmental Control Agency (BPLH) filed a civil lawsuit worth Rp. 4.8 trillion against six companies suspected of causing massive environmental damage in North Sumatra Province.

The lawsuit was filed for environmental damage in three affected areas, namely North Tapanuli Regency, Central Tapanuli, and South Tapanuli, with a main focus on ecosystem restoration in the Garoga River Basin (DAS) and Batang Toru River Basin.

As a form of seriousness, KLH/BPLH filed a lawsuit on Thursday (15/1) simultaneously through the Medan City District Court (PN) for two companies, the Central Jakarta District Court (PN) for one company, and the South Jakarta District Court (PN) for three other companies.

The six corporations that are the object of the state lawsuit are PT NSHE, PT AR, PT TPL, PT PN, PT MST, and PT TBS. Based on the results of field supervision and in-depth technical studies, the activities of the six companies resulted in environmental damage of 2,516.39 hectares.

For the damage, KLH/BPLH filed a total lawsuit of Rp. 4,843,232,560,026.00. The fantastic value includes a component of environmental damage of Rp. 4,657,378,770,276 and ecosystem restoration costs of Rp. 178,481,212,250 to ensure that damaged environments can be returned to their functions for the community.

Minister Hanif also stated that the lawsuit filing process was based on field facts and the results of analysis from experts.

“We adhere to the principle of paying for destroyers; any corporation that takes advantage by damaging the ecosystem must be fully responsible for restoring it. This is a strong message that environmental enforcement under the KLH/BPLH will not compromise to ensure the constitutional rights of every citizen for a good and healthy environment,” said Minister Hanif.

The Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement of the KLH/BPLH, Rizal Irawan, in a similar statement said that the registration of the lawsuit was based on the mandate of Article 2 of Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning the Protection and Management of the Environment (UU PPLH) which emphasizes the principles of state responsibility, sustainability, prudence, and the principle of polluter pays.

This step is not merely a demand for material compensation, but an urgent effort to mitigate the risk of flooding and landslides that now threaten residents along the Batang Toru River Basin and the Garoga River Basin due to the loss of environmental support.

Rizal Irawan emphasized that through the civil lawsuit, the government demanded absolute accountability for every inch of damage that occurred.

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