Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Academics from various universities in Indonesia will be involved in conducting environmental audits on at least a hundred corporations after the flood in Sumatra. The government stated that experts will evaluate the impact of these corporations' operations on the hydrometeorological disasters that occurred at the end of November.

This environmental audit is initiated by the Ministry of Environment. "We will mobilize all university components in the country to conduct this together. Therefore, the scientific and technological studies will be of high quality," said Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol in Jakarta on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

Hanif mentioned that the environmental evaluation and audit are targeted to be completed within three months. With the support of environmental academics, Hanif hopes that the process will be completed by March 2026.

Hanif stated that the involvement of experts is part of the government's efforts to make science-based policies. "Everything is based on exact science, and then the evidence can be proven scientifically," he said.

The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, stated that his ministry is ready to assist in the environmental evaluation and audit process. He mentioned that he has asked the university leaders to prepare the experts.

"We will involve them in a multidisciplinary team. Later, this team will be under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment to conduct studies and research that can be academically, scientifically, and technologically accountable, so the results are as objective as possible," said Brian.

Brian stated that there will be experts from various disciplines in the team, including hydrogeologists, forestry, environmental, civil engineering, and spatial planning.

The government has not revealed the names of the hundred companies that will be audited following the flood and landslide in Sumatera. The Ministry of Environment only stated that the inspection is important to see the connection between the companies and the damage in Sumatra. This environmental audit targets both licensed and unlicensed parties.

The Ministry of Environment previously traced eight companies suspected of violating environmental regulations in North Sumatra operating in the Batang Toru area, North Sumatra. Included in the audit target list is the field verification of 17 business units engaged in cement factories, mining, housing, and oil palm plantations in West Sumatra.

– Alif Ilham Fajriadi contributed to the writing of this article.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2075749/academics-to-audit-100-firms-after-deadly-sumatra-flood