Batang Toru Ecosystem, rich in biodiversity, one of the Ttapanuli orangutans. Photo: Verse S Karokaro/ Mongabay Indonesia
Jakarta, sumbarsatu.com–The Society of Indonesian Environmental Journalists (SIEJ) together with five media suspect that there has been massive environmental damage in the Batang Toru Hydro Electricity Company (PLTA) project, North Sumatra. This Investigation Collaboration involves media represented from various platforms, namely The Jakarta Post, Radio News Agency (KBR), Jaring.id, Betahita.id and CNN Indonesia TV.
SIEJ views the problem of the Batang Toru hydropower project development not only as a threat to human life living around the power plant, it also threatens the survival of the Tapanuli Orangutan. No less important what is highlighted in the coverage of this collaboration is the problem of disasters, foreign workers, to financing and the parties behind this investment.
Behind the jargon of clean, renewable and environmentally friendly energy which is often attached to a number of hydropower projects, the Batang Toru hydropower project is ironic. This electricity generator from water energy is actually built on a landscape rich in biodiversity. It is suspected that the project study ignores ecological aspects and social impacts on the community.
Batang Toru is part of the Bukit Barisan span along the island of Sumatra. In the habitat in Batang Toru, there are many species, especially the Tapanuli Orang Utan (Pongo Tapanuliensis) which is threatened. The project with tunnels 12 meters in diameter and 12.5 km long parallel to the Batang Toru River, right in the habitat of the Tapanuli orangutan.
Criticism of the Batang Toru hydropower plant labeled as 'clean energy' prompted the Bank of China to stop funding it in 2019 due to environmental considerations. In addition, recently the results of a BPK audit on a project with the potential to make a loss helped corroborate a number of irregularities in the construction of the Batang Toru hydropower project which are suspected of violating development governance. Now the project is still being forced with the involvement of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).
SIEJ as an organization of environmental journalists took the initiative to encourage journalists to see the perspective of saving the area and biodiversity in the Batang Toru issue.
SIEJ Chairperson Joni Aswira said that this collaboration opened the widest way for the five media to determine the angle or point of view of each media. For SIEJ environmental issues can actually be reviewed from various dimensions. The most important is based on a perspective to encourage better environmental change.
"In the Batang Toru project, we see the complexity of the problem. Starting from threats to the area, protected animals including orangutans, even disaster issues are also discussed. This collaboration also covers the investment-business aspect. Company relations, financing, and the people behind this project. Precisely by not uniforming the angle, this collaboration will make it rich," said Joni Aswira, Monday (20/2023).
The five media Batang Toru hydropower week also marked the launch of the Depati Project, a collaborative reporting platform initiated by SIEJ. As an organization of environmental journalists, SIEJ wants to encourage the birth of impactful environmental coverage that can be packaged in the concept of collaboration between journalists and the media.
In addition to providing the widest possible angle for the media or journalists, the Depati Project-SIEJ collaboration platform also equips journalists to increase the capacity of journalists to master specific skills such as data journalism, financial and digital forensics, thereby encouraging an understanding of aspects of money laundering crimes and disclosure of beneficial ownership. In addition, after publication, SIEJ will invite a number of parties to disseminate the substance of the issue together.
“In-depth and investigative coverage, especially on themes related to environmental crimes. In the future this platform will be developed and encouraged the involvement of regional or local based media. So it's not only Jakarta-based media. SIEJ has nodes in 24 provinces," continued Joni Aswira.
On the issue of the Batang Toru hydropower project, the collaboration process has started since November 2022. After reviewing many documents, especially investment documents, the team conducted live coverage of the Batang Toru hydropower development project site which is in Sipirok, South Tapanuli, North Sumatra.
From the results of the reports and interviews, the collaborative team found facts that support the hypothesis regarding alleged environmental crimes and defects in the Batang Toru hydropower project investment.
Joni continued, because the coverage was done in collaboration, the news about the Batang Toru hydropower plant would be published in the same week. Publishing takes place from 21-25 February 2023 in each media collaboration team.
It is hoped that the results of this collaborative coverage can provide clear information to the public regarding the Batang Toru hydropower problem, which so far has often been overlooked in the news. Collaborative coverage is now a necessity amidst the increasing potential for threats and intimidation to journalists and media workers.
About SIEJ
The Society of Indonesian Environmental Journalists (SIEJ) was declared by 45 journalists from various regions in Indonesia on 22 April 2006, coinciding with the commemoration of Earth Day in Leuser National Park, Tangkahan, North Sumatra.
SIEJ's main goal is to build a network of journalists and media to encourage critical environmental coverage and side with the truth. SIEJ is also a forum for increasing the skills and capacity of journalists for reporting environmental issues. Until now, SIEJ has a membership of approximately 200 active journalists, both freelance journalists and journalists working in media companies. SIEJ members are spread across 24 SIMPUL SIEJ regions based in each province. SSC/MN/Rail
