RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Environment has revoked the environmental permits of 28 companies operating in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, following evidence that their activities contributed to floods and hydrometeorological landslides.

Deputy Minister of Environment Diaz Hendropriyono said the move reflects strict enforcement of environmental laws. “The basis for this is an evaluation of companies’ compliance with Law No. 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management and Government Regulation No. 22/2021,” he said on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Since hydrometeorological disasters struck Sumatra in November 2025, supervisory teams have carried out intensive audits and technical studies. The findings indicated that several companies’ operations had worsened the impact of floods and landslides.

Of the 28 companies sanctioned, 22 were engaged in the utilization of natural forests and plantation forests, while the remaining six operated in the mining, plantation, and timber forest sectors.

With the revocation, all companies have lost their environmental operating permits. The government stressed that it will not tolerate business practices that undermine environmental carrying capacity and endanger public safety.

The ministry’s principal secretary, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, said the government is conducting a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the affected lands to map the extent of environmental damage.

“The SEA is, among other things, to determine the current environmental conditions,” she said. Rosa explained that the assessment aims to determine the extent of damage and to establish appropriate restoration measures.

Through the SEA, the government will decide whether the land should be converted for other uses or retained for its protective function. This applies to both former mining and plantation areas.

“The government’s main focus is to ensure that the environmental carrying capacity in Aceh and Sumatra is restored,” Rosa said. The results of the assessment will serve as the basis for future policies on permitted and prohibited activities in the region. (Gusti Panji/Lasti Martina)