DLH Jeneponto: Environmental Stewardship in South Sulawesi

Introduction

The Dinas Lingkungan Hidup (DLH) of Jeneponto Regency, located in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, serves as the primary governmental agency responsible for environmental management and protection within the region. Jeneponto Regency, whose name derives from the Makassarese words meaning “water” and “bracelet” in reference to the circular formation of the Jeneponto River, comprises eleven districts with a diverse landscape that presents unique environmental challenges and opportunities.

As the environmental guardian of this coastal regency, DLH Jeneponto operates under the broader vision of creating a prosperous, morally upright, and competitive district. The agency’s mandate extends across multiple environmental domains, from waste management and pollution control to conservation efforts and community education, playing a crucial role in balancing development needs with environmental sustainability.

Organizational Structure and Responsibilities

DLH Jeneponto functions as a technical implementing unit within the regional government structure, positioned to address the full spectrum of environmental concerns affecting the regency. The organization is headed by a director who oversees various divisions responsible for distinct aspects of environmental management.

The agency’s operational framework includes specialized sections focusing on waste management, environmental pollution control, biodiversity conservation, and environmental impact assessment. This structure enables DLH Jeneponto to coordinate effectively with other government departments, community organizations, and private sector stakeholders in implementing environmental programs and policies.

The leadership of DLH Jeneponto has varied over time, with officials like Suardi Rahman and Arfan Tompo serving in directorial capacities at different periods. These leaders have been tasked with navigating complex environmental issues while managing limited resources and addressing competing priorities within the regency’s development agenda.

Key Environmental Programs and Initiatives

Waste Management and Bank Sampah Program

One of DLH Jeneponto’s signature initiatives involves the establishment and promotion of Bank Sampah (Waste Banks) throughout the regency. In September 2021, the agency collaborated with the Bontoramba Subdistrict government to organize socialization programs for household waste management and the formation of waste banks in Bontoramba Village.

The Bank Sampah model represents an innovative approach to community-based waste management, transforming the perception of garbage from worthless refuse into a resource with economic value. These programs educate residents on proper waste segregation, encourage recycling, and create economic incentives for environmental stewardship. Through these waste banks, community members can deposit recyclable materials and receive monetary compensation, simultaneously addressing environmental pollution and providing supplementary income opportunities.

The socialization events typically involve multiple stakeholders, including religious leaders, community organizations, and local government officials, reflecting a collaborative approach to environmental problem-solving. These gatherings serve as educational forums where residents learn practical techniques for managing household waste, understanding the environmental impact of improper disposal, and recognizing their role in maintaining community cleanliness.

Environmental Education and Community Engagement

DLH Jeneponto recognizes that sustainable environmental management requires informed and engaged citizens. The agency regularly conducts educational campaigns, workshops, and training sessions designed to raise environmental awareness among various demographic groups, from schoolchildren to adult community members.

These educational initiatives cover diverse topics including waste reduction strategies, water conservation, pollution prevention, and the importance of preserving natural ecosystems. By fostering environmental literacy from an early age, DLH Jeneponto aims to cultivate a culture of environmental responsibility that will sustain conservation efforts across generations.

The agency’s community engagement approach emphasizes participatory development, encouraging local residents to take active roles in identifying environmental problems and implementing solutions. This bottom-up methodology recognizes that effective environmental management must be rooted in local knowledge, needs, and capacities.

Environmental Challenges and Controversies

Mining Operations and Jurisdictional Issues

DLH Jeneponto faces significant challenges in managing the environmental impacts of economic activities within its jurisdiction. A notable example involves mining operations in Kelurahan Balang, Binamu Subdistrict, where residents have raised concerns about Category C mining activities affecting local infrastructure and causing environmental degradation.

Community complaints regarding this mining operation highlight multiple issues: damage to roads from heavy truck traffic, flooding of residential areas from mining site runoff, and questions about the adequacy of environmental impact assessments. When confronted with these concerns in May 2025, DLH Director Arfan Tompo clarified that mining permits and environmental impact assessments fall under provincial rather than district jurisdiction, illustrating the complex regulatory landscape governing natural resource extraction in Indonesia.

This situation underscores a fundamental challenge facing local environmental agencies: limited authority over certain environmental matters despite bearing responsibility for managing their consequences. The provincial government holds jurisdiction over mining permits and environmental assessments, yet local communities and district agencies must contend with the immediate environmental and social impacts of these operations.

The case also reveals gaps in coordination between different levels of government, with mining operators reportedly failing to inform or coordinate with district environmental authorities. This disconnect between permitting processes and local oversight creates difficulties in ensuring comprehensive environmental protection and accountability.

Tree Management and Inter-Agency Coordination

Another revealing challenge emerged in November 2025 regarding a dead tree in Pammanjengang neighborhood, Bontotangnga Village, Tamalatea Subdistrict. The deteriorating tree posed a potential safety hazard to nearby residents and motorists, yet responsibility for its removal became a matter of dispute between government agencies.

DLH Director Suardi Rahman stated that his agency did not bear full responsibility for handling hazardous trees, while the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) indicated it only intervened after trees had already fallen. This situation illustrates challenges in defining clear responsibilities across government agencies, particularly for preventive environmental management tasks that fall between traditional agency mandates.

Such jurisdictional ambiguities can lead to dangerous situations where preventable hazards go unaddressed due to bureaucratic uncertainties about which agency should take action. The incident highlights the need for clearer protocols and improved inter-agency coordination in environmental safety matters.

Regulatory Context and Limitations

The challenges faced by DLH Jeneponto reflect broader issues within Indonesia’s environmental governance structure. The country’s decentralization framework, implemented in the early 2000s, distributed various governmental responsibilities across national, provincial, and district levels. While this system aimed to bring governance closer to citizens and enable locally appropriate policies, it has sometimes created confusion about authority and accountability.

For environmental matters, certain critical functions—including mining permits, large-scale industrial licensing, and major environmental impact assessments—remain under provincial or national jurisdiction. District-level environmental agencies like DLH Jeneponto primarily handle local environmental management, waste services, small-scale pollution control, and community environmental programs.

This division of authority can create implementation challenges. District environmental agencies may observe environmental problems resulting from activities permitted by higher government levels, yet lack the regulatory authority to directly address permit conditions or enforcement. Effective environmental protection in such contexts requires robust coordination mechanisms, information sharing, and collaborative problem-solving across governmental levels—processes that do not always function smoothly in practice.

Collaboration and Partnerships

Despite these challenges, DLH Jeneponto actively seeks partnerships to enhance its environmental management capacity. The agency participates in regional environmental forums and training programs organized by national environmental authorities, including workshops on environmental quality index calculations and climate change adaptation strategies.

In recent years, DLH Jeneponto has been represented at various provincial and inter-provincial environmental conferences, enabling knowledge exchange with counterparts from other districts in Sulawesi and beyond. These platforms provide opportunities to learn from successful environmental programs implemented elsewhere and to adopt best practices appropriate for Jeneponto’s specific context.

The agency also collaborates with civil society organizations, educational institutions, and private sector entities on specific environmental initiatives. Such partnerships leverage diverse expertise, resources, and networks to achieve environmental goals that would be difficult for government agencies to accomplish alone.

Future Directions and Opportunities

Looking forward, DLH Jeneponto faces both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities in its environmental stewardship role. Climate change presents new imperatives for adaptation and resilience-building, particularly for a coastal regency vulnerable to sea-level rise, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events.

The agency must continue strengthening waste management infrastructure and services to keep pace with population growth and changing consumption patterns. Expanding the Bank Sampah network and developing complementary waste reduction and recycling programs will be essential for managing increasing waste volumes sustainably.

Improved coordination mechanisms with provincial authorities and other district agencies will enhance DLH Jeneponto’s effectiveness in addressing environmental issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries. Developing clear protocols for inter-agency cooperation on environmental safety, pollution monitoring, and resource management could prevent situations where responsibilities remain unclear until problems escalate.

Digital transformation offers opportunities for modernizing environmental monitoring, reporting, and community engagement. Utilizing technology for environmental data collection, pollution tracking, and citizen reporting could enhance the agency’s responsiveness and transparency while enabling evidence-based decision-making.

Conclusion

DLH Jeneponto operates at the frontlines of environmental management in a dynamic and developing region of Indonesia. The agency works to balance environmental protection with economic development, often navigating complex regulatory frameworks, limited resources, and competing priorities. Through community-based programs like Bank Sampah, educational initiatives, and participation in broader environmental networks, DLH Jeneponto strives to fulfill its mandate of safeguarding the environmental quality and natural resources of Jeneponto Regency.

The challenges documented—from mining controversies to inter-agency coordination difficulties—reflect systemic issues common to environmental governance in decentralized systems. Addressing these challenges requires not only enhanced capacity and resources for district environmental agencies but also improvements in regulatory clarity, inter-governmental coordination, and mechanisms for community participation in environmental decision-making.

As Jeneponto continues developing, the role of DLH Jeneponto in ensuring that growth occurs sustainably—protecting ecosystems, managing resources responsibly, and maintaining environmental quality for current and future generations—remains critically important. The agency’s success in this endeavor will depend on continued innovation in environmental programming, strengthened partnerships across sectors, and sustained commitment to the principle that environmental stewardship and community wellbeing are inseparable goals.