Indonesia’s Environment Ministry has temporarily suspended operations of four companies in the Batang Toru river basin area in North Sumatra following recent devastating floods and landslides.
Companies Suspended After North Sumatra Disasters
The companies affected are PT Agincourt Resources, a private gold miner; PT Perkebunan (PN) III, a state-owned plantation firm; PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy (NSHE), an independent power producer; and PT Sago Nauli, a palm oil company.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the decision to suspend the companies was made due to suspicions they contributed to the severity of the flooding in North Sumatra. He stated that eight companies operating in the area are under investigation, with environmental audits planned for the suspended four.
“Our team is also conducting on-site verification of the remaining four,” Nurofiq said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
The minister’s decision followed an inspection of the Batang Toru river basin and Garoga on Friday, aimed at determining the causes of the disaster and assessing whether business activities had increased flood and landslide risks.
Nurofiq emphasized the need for a comprehensive evaluation of all business activities in the river basin area, particularly given recent extreme rainfall exceeding 300 millimeters per day.
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