"Two Property Giants that Caused the Bekasi Floods" 12 May 2025

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...the joint project between Sentul City and Citra Gelora Raya - a subsidiary of the Ciputra Group - has come under scrutiny. On March 13, 2025, one week after devastating floods paralyzed Bekasi, West Java and surrounding areas, the Environment Ministry (KLH) sealed off the Chardonnay Cluster in the Citra City Sentul construction site.

Speaking to Tempo, Rizal Irawan, Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement at the Ministry's Environmental Control Agency, said the developers were suspected of failing to manage surface runoff from the cleared land. As a result, the runoff volume surged and carried sediment into nearby waterways.

"That runoff increased sedimentation and water discharge in the Cikeas river basin area (DAS), which is suspected to have contributed to the overflow of the Bekasi River," Rizal said on Saturday, May 3.

..the joint project between Sentul City and Citra Gelora Raya - a subsidiary of the Ciputra Group - has come under scrutiny. On March 13, 2025, one week after ed violations were similar, Summarecon allegedly failed to install sediment traps and bio pores, leading to sediment buildup in the Ciangsana River.

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..., the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded high-intensity rainfall across Bogor Regency, Bogor City, Depok, Bekasi Regency and Bekasi City between Monday and Tuesday, March 3-4, 2025. But the suspected root of the disaster pointed to an old problem: upstream environmental degradation that triggered the overflow of the Bekasi River.

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Rizal Irawan of the Environmental Control Agency said his team is still investigating possible violations by Sentul City and Summarecon Agung. Investigators from the Directorate of Environmental Law Enforcement (Gakkum), he said, are gathering evidence and statements from local residents, regional authorities, experts, and company representatives. "As the basis for further legal action," he said.

That action could take administrative, civil or criminal form, or all three. If proven guilty, the developers could face administrative sanctions such as government-imposed corrective measures and fines. In the case of criminal violations, the penalties could include imprisonment, fines and additional sanctions such as environmental remediation orders.

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Faisal Farhan, Head of Legal Affairs at Sentul City emphasized that the company respects and remains cooperative with the investigation process...

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Faisal explained that the company is in the process of preparing a separate environmental impact analysis (AMDAL) for the Chardonnay Cluster, distinct from the broader Sentul City AMDAL...

Faisal also claimed that the company had built a water retention pond, installed sediment traps, and planted grass in designated areas. These measures, he noted, were based on recommendations from an environmental consultant to prevent soil runoff from entering the Cijayanti River.

However, he classified the March 2025 incident as a force majeure event. "Rainfall was so intense at the time that the system simply could not contain it," he said...

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Tempo attempted to reach Muhammad Ghufron, Assistant Manager of Corporate Public Relations at Summarecon Agung, to ask for comment on the investigation and site closure ordered by the Environment Ministry. As of this report's publication, Ghufron had not responded to phone calls or messages.

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