RRI.CO.ID, Mojokerto - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry/Environmental Protection Agency (KLH/BPLH) is strengthening its commitment to river protection and restoration thru cross-sector collaboration at the Indonesia River Conference 2026 held at Wana Wisata Sumber Gempong, Trawas, Mojokerto Regency, East Java, from July 25–27, 2026. The forum, attended by around 500 participants from 15 provinces, 53 regencies/cities, and representatives from 33 river basin areas (DAS), served as a platform to consolidate efforts to strengthen river conservation in Indonesia.

The Minister of the Environment/Head of the BPLH, Moh Jumhur Hidayat, said that community involvement is the key to successfully maintaining and restoring rivers. He appreciates the role of river communities that have been actively driving various conservation initiatives and building collaborations with the government, academics, the business world, and other stakeholders.

"All civilizations, including in Indonesia, surely have their traces in the rivers." You have been taking care of the rivers in your respective areas and are ready to collaborate with the government, academics, entrepreneurs, and various other parties. "Thank you also for trusting the Minister of the Environment as the Advisory Board of the river community," Jumhur said in a written statement, Monday, July 27, 2026.

Strengthening collaboration is considered increasingly important given that the quality of rivers in Indonesia still faces significant challenges. Based on the national water quality monitoring in 2025 at 6,245 points covering 1,926 rivers and 109 lakes or ponds, only 234 water bodies met the quality standards, while 1,801 were polluted. The pollution parameters are dominated by Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Coliform, Fecal Coliform, and chlorine, which originate from domestic activities, farming, and industry.

The Secretary of the East Java Provincial Government, Adhy Karyono, stated that the local government continues to promote various river conservation programs thru river monitoring activities, water patrols, and strengthening collaboration with communities, academics, the business world, and the media to raise public awareness about river conservation.

"We often conduct river patrols together, but that's not enough. Therefore, we formed the Water Patrol as a form of collaboration with various parties so that efforts to save and preserve the river can be more optimal," he conveyed.

In addition to being a space for sharing best practices and strengthening networks, the 2026 Indonesia River Conference also produced several commitments thru the reading of the River Community Declaration, tree planting, interactive dialogs, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between KLH/BPLH and the Central Board of the Indonesian Rafting Federation (FAJI). This cooperation is expected to strengthen river protection while also supporting its sustainable use, including for water tourism and rafting sports that maintain the ecological functions of the river.

Thru this conference, KLH/BPLH emphasized that rivers are a source of life that must be jointly preserved thru multi-stakeholder collaboration. The results of the conference are expected not only to be commitments on paper but also to be realized in concrete actions to restore river quality and support environmental sustainability and community welfare.