"Minister evaluating hydropower project in Tapanuli orangutan habitat", 10 May 2021

Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has confirmed that her ministry has initiated an evaluation of all aspects of PT NSHE's operations following a devastating landslide that occurred at their hydropower construction site (Apr 29) in the Batang Toru ecosystem. [...]

Regarding the deadly landslide at the hydropower construction site, she said that the ministry has compiled a preliminary report connecting spatial-based measures with a ground-based dataset as part of the investigation into this serious incident.

“Referring to our preliminary findings, I have decided to start evaluating all aspects of the project developer's operations, in particular their level of legal compliance on the ground,” she declared during a technical discussion in response to the fatal landslide (May 8).

“With respect to the casualties of the landslide, the ministry team has identified a number of pertinent environmental and social issues, and is also looking at the way in which corporate governance interacts with these two aspects. This is all part of our evaluation,” she explained.

The minister pointed out that certain aspects relating to the incident, such as work accidents and negligence, fall under the authority of ministers other than her, adding that she would consider the whole issue proportionately as part of the evaluation. [...]