Tormented by Human Cruelty Toward the Brantas River, ECOTON Demands State Recognition of the Rights of the Brantas River

"The Brantas River as a Living Entity with Soul and Equal Dignity to All Other Beings"

Surabaya, Indonesia — [October, 14, 2025]
The Indonesian environmental NGO ECOTON (Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation) is urging the government to formally recognize the Rights of the Brantas River, declaring it as a living entity that possesses a soul, rights, and inherent dignity equal to all other beings.

According to Alaika Rahmatullah, ECOTON’s Campaign Coordinator and alumnus of Nurul Jadid Islamic Boarding School in Situbondo, the idea of granting rights to the Brantas River arises from a growing ecological awareness that the river is a living being and an ecological legal subject with inherent and inalienable rights.

“We are advancing the recognition of seven fundamental Rights of the Brantas River as an expression of our awareness that the Brantas is a living being. Therefore, its rights must be fulfilled and respected,” said Alaika Rahmatullah.

On Monday (October 14, 2025), ECOTON Activists staged a river action on
rubber boats, Demanding justice for the Brantas River.

The seven rights of the Brantas River being championed by ECOTON are:
1. The right to live and flow naturally, without barriers, pollution, or manipulation that disrupts its balance.
2. The right to ecological integrity, encompassing all its tributaries, riverbanks, wetlands, and the living beings within it.
3. The right to be free from pollution, excessive exploitation, and destruction caused by human activities.
4. The right to restoration, whenever damaged by human actions or environmentally harmful policies.
5. The right to legal and moral representation and defense by communities, traditional institutions, academics, and the Guardians of Brantas.
6. The right to be respected in all development policies, spatial planning, and economic activities that take place within the Brantas River Basin.
7. The right to teach humanity to live in harmony with it, as a source of knowledge, spirituality, and balance of life.

A Call for Ecological Justice

ECOTON emphasizes that for centuries, the Brantas River—known as the lifeblood of East Java—has endured destruction, pollution, and neglect caused by human greed and unjust development policies.

During the Dry season, piles of plastic waste buried at the riverbed become
clearly visible in the upstream area of the Brantas, revealing the extent
of pollution and neglect

“The condition of the Brantas River is increasingly alarming. The government has allowed the river to become polluted and damaged. The Brantas must be restored — it is the source of life for the people of East Java and deserves justice,” Alaika said.

Amirudin Muttaqin, ECOTON’s community facilitator, added that industrial pollution and irresponsible community behavior have turned the Brantas into a dumping ground.

“These acts of pollution are unjust and trample on ecological justice. The Brantas River carries history, culture, and the source of life for humans, animals, and all ecosystems that depend upon it,” Amirudin said.

Declaration: The Brantas River as an Ecological Legal Subject
“As part of the Brantas River, we call upon all stakeholders to recognize the Brantas River as an ecological legal subject and to integrate the principles of the Rights of the Brantas River into both regional and national policies,” said Alaika Rahmatullah.
ECOTON believes that ecological justice cannot be achieved without recognizing the rights of nature. Such recognition is essential to building river governance rooted in love, respect, and ecological responsibility.
“This advocacy serves as the moral, social, and political foundation for the protection of the Brantas River and all life that depends on it,” Alaika added.

With the recognition of the Rights of the Brantas River:
1. The state and local governments are obliged to respect and protect the rights of the Brantas River as part of their constitutional responsibility to realize ecological justice.
2. Communities bear a moral and social responsibility to live in harmony with the Brantas River, maintain its cleanliness, and prevent pollution and degradation.
3. All development policies that may affect the Brantas River must be guided by the principles of “Do No Harm to the River” and “Restoration as Justice.”

Recycling Industries continue to discharge untreated waste water
into the Brantas river

Recognition of River Rights: A Global Movement
ECOTON calls upon the Government of Indonesia, the East Java Provincial Government, and all citizens to support the recognition of the Brantas River as a subject of rights, following examples from around the world — such as the Whanganui River in New Zealand, the Atrato River in Colombia, and the Ganges in India, which have been legally recognized as living entities with rights to exist, flow, and be restored.

“Recognizing the Brantas River as a living being is both a moral and constitutional duty to protect our shared home — the environment,” said ECOTON Executive Director Daru Setyorini.

ECOTON invites civil society organizations, universities, faith-based groups, and the wider public to join the Brantas Rights Movement, working together to build a future where the river and its people thrive in harmony.

Contact:
ECOTON (Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation)
Website: www.ecoton.or.id
Email: info@ecoton.or.id
Phone: +62 [083114966417]