Supreme Court Rejects the Judicial Review of the Public Works Minister and East Java Governor — Ecoton Demands Both Officials Apologize to the People of East Java

Illegal Buildings and Industries are destroying the Brantas Riverbank due the
negligence by the publick work ministre and the east java gorvernor.

“Industries Along the Brantas River Will Find It Difficult to Discharge Untreated Waste After the Governor’s Judicial Review Was Rejected”

“Industries along the Brantas River will find it difficult to discharge untreated wastewater following the rejection of the Governor’s Judicial Review. Every industry is now legally required to install CCTV cameras directly pointed at their wastewater discharge outlets,” said Alaika Rahmatullah. The Ecoton Campaign Coordinator further explained that the Supreme Court Decision on Judicial Review No. 821 PK/Pdt/2025, issued on Thursday, August 21, 2025, which rejected the petition from the Minister of Public Works and the Governor of East Java, means that Ecoton’s demands must now be fulfilled — one of which is the installation of CCTV cameras at all industrial liquid waste outlets along the Brantas River.

A copy of the Notification of the Judicial Review Decision No. 08/Pdt.G/2019/PN Sby Jo. No. 177/PDT/2023/PT.Sby Jo. No. 1190 K/PDT/2024 was sent to Rulli Mustika Adya, SH., MH, Ecoton’s legal counsel, and signed by Suriadi, Acting Court Bailiff, on October 1, 2025.

Following this ruling, the Governor of East Java and the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) must now take concrete measures to restore the Brantas River from pollution. This obligation stems from the Supreme Court Decision No. 1190 K/PDT/2024, issued on April 30, 2024, in the case between the Governor of East Java and the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing versus the Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation Foundation (ECOTON).

“With this Supreme Court ruling, the defendants — the Governor of East Java and the Minister of Public Works — must carry out the 10 rulings issued by the Surabaya District Court No. 8/Pdt.G/2019/PN.Sby, which were upheld by the East Java High Court Decision No. 117/PDT/2023/PT.SBY,” explained Alaika Rahmatullah. He added that pollution in the Brantas River has become uncontrollable, with industries freely discharging untreated waste and unregulated settlements mushrooming along the riverbanks due to the negligence of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing — all of which have worsened plastic waste pollution in the river.

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Brantas River Pollution Control Is Only a Gimmick

1. Minimal Monitoring: Existing monitoring activities have failed to enforce compliance among industries, which instead take advantage of unmonitored hours — such as late at night — to dump waste.
2. Lack of Serious Law Enforcement: Legal processes related to river ecosystem damage from liquid waste discharges are non-transparent and lack decisive action.
3. Neglect of Riverbank Environmental Protection: The Ministry of Public Works has allowed illegal and even industrial buildings to be constructed along the Brantas River banks, contributing to pollution from detergents, nitrites, nitrates, E. coli, and plastic waste.
4. Superficial Restoration Efforts: Government pollution control and restoration initiatives are largely ceremonial, lacking substantive and sustainable outcomes.

“It is only right that the Governor of East Java and the Minister of Public Works apologize to the residents living within the Brantas watershed for their failure to restore the river’s water quality,” said Alaika.

Over the past decade, Brantas River management has been perceived as poor by the public. In an Ecoton survey involving 535 East Java residents, 62.1% rated the river management under Governor Khofifah as “poor.” Furthermore, 88% of respondents believe the Brantas River remains polluted. According to the survey, 73.5% identified the main sources of pollution as plastic waste and household liquid waste dumped directly into the river, while 25% blamed industrial waste. Household pollution is exacerbated by the unchecked construction of permanent housing along the riverbanks, with 67.7% of respondents stating that the riverbanks are poorly maintained.

According to the Surabaya District Court Decision, the Defendants Are Ordered To:

1. Publicly Apologize to communities in the 15 cities/regencies through which the Brantas River flows, for their negligence in management and oversight that has caused recurring mass fish deaths.
2. Include Brantas River Water Quality Restoration Programs in the 2020 National Budget (APBN).
3. Install CCTV Cameras at every industrial wastewater outlet within the Brantas River Basin to strengthen pollution monitoring.
4. Conduct Independent Audits of all Environmental Agencies (DLH) in East Java — both provincial and municipal — involving communities, academics, environmental consultants, and NGOs.
5. Issue Warnings to Industries located in the Brantas River Basin, requiring them to treat their liquid waste before discharge.
6. Impose Administrative Sanctions on industries that violate pollution standards or discharge waste exceeding permissible limits as stated in Government Regulation No. 82/2001.
7. Install Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring Devices at all wastewater outlets along the Brantas River to enable better supervision.
8. Conduct Public Education and Campaigns within the Brantas River region to discourage residents from consuming fish killed by industrial waste pollution.
9. Instruct Municipal and Regency Environmental Agencies to coordinate with industries regarding proper waste management procedures.
10. Establish a Task Force (SATGAS) to continuously monitor and supervise industrial wastewater disposal throughout East Java.

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Ecoton also urged the Governor of East Java, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, and the Minister of Environment and Forestry to develop and adopt Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for responding to mass fish kill incidents and to implement ecological restoration measures afterward. They must also impose sanctions on industries responsible for such events.

“Mass fish deaths have repeatedly occurred without resolution because the causes are never publicly disclosed — they are often covered up, allowing the same disasters to recur,” said Prigi Arisandi, Ecoton’s Manager for Science, Arts, and Communication.