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View all search resultsEx-Jakarta agency head faces charges in deadly landfill collapse
The Environment Ministry has named former Jakarta Environment Agency head Asep Kuswanto a suspect in a case pertaining to alleged waste management violations at Bantar Gebang landfill, which triggered a deadly landslide that killed seven people last month.
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Desperate search: A rescue team uses heavy machinery to search for people on March 9 following a landslide at Bantargebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java. A landslide at the country’s biggest landfill buried trucks and food stalls, killing four people, rescuers said on March 9 as they searched for at least five more reported missing. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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he Environment Ministry has named former Jakarta Environment Agency head Asep Kuswanto a suspect in a case pertaining to alleged waste management violations at the Bantar Gebang landfill, which triggered a deadly landslide that killed seven people last month.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq announced the designation on Monday night, describing it as part of the government’s commitment to hold accountable those who violate environmental standards, particularly when lives are lost.
“We have provided space [for them to improve] through guidance, monitoring and administrative sanctions. But since those were not heeded, we must move toward legal action,” he said in a statement.
The massive landslide tore through parts of the 110-hectare landfill during heavy rainfall on March 9, killing seven people and injuring six others. The site, located in Jakarta’s neighboring city of Bekasi in West Java, is managed by the Jakarta Environment Agency.
The avalanche quickly put the agency under intense scrutiny, as it occurred while the ministry was already investigating alleged waste treatment violations at the country’s largest open landfill between Feb. 24 and 27.
The probe followed the agency’s failure to comply with administrative sanctions imposed since late 2024. These included requirements for the landfill operator to complete wastewater management facilities and update documentation related to hazardous and toxic waste handling.
Read also: Deadly Bantar Gebang collapse exposes Jakarta’s decades-long waste mismanagement
