Tourism in West Sumatra at the expense of the environment

Tourism development in West Sumatra turned out to be carried out without considering the ecological or environmental side.

Lake Diateh Tourist Center, West Sumatra Credit: Pemkab Solok

Main topics

• Karhutla Happened in Tourist Locations
• Water pollution due to tourist infrastructure
• Lack of Government Attention to Ecological Disasters
• Unsustainable Tourism Threatens Future of Tourism

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Pariwisata Sumatera Barat Korbankan Lingkungan

SBS Indonesian

11:40Indonesian

Currently at a number of points in the region, forest and land fire disasters are taking place. While a few months ago, in the same location, there was also a catastrophic flood.

In other provinces, such as Riau, Jambi or South Sumatra, Forest and Lahan Fires (Karhutla) are usually synonymous with the plantation sector. But in West Sumatra, data shows the tourism sector is also making donations.

In the dry season like today, Karhutla is getting more and more frequent.

Wengki Purwanto, Director of the Environment Agency (Walhi) of West Sumatra explained to Nurhadi Sucahyo, SBS Indonesia correspondent as follows:

“Some time ago Walhi Sumbar tried to do an analysis and we found from April to July 2025 there were at least 1,225 hotspots spread in different districts, such as Solok, Limapuluhkota, Agam. So the spot is quite widespread in several districts including Sawahlunto City and other locations in districts in West Sumatra.”

Wengki Purwanto, Direktur Walhi Sumatera Barat. Credit: Wengki Purwanto

Wengki did not deny that in some locations, Karhutla is indicated to occur in concession areas owned by the company, especially palm oil plantations. Of the existing hotspot points, at least 36 fire sites are within the company's concession.

But on the other hand, Wengki said, in fact, the tourism industry has recently developed quite a lot in West Sumatra, such as in Limapuluhkota district, also being the locations of Karhutla. This condition is considered to be due to the development of tourism which during this time has tended to neglect the principles of the environment.

As a disaster-prone province, West Sumatra is known to be quite good at disaster preparedness. However, the local authorities neglected to pay attention to the ecological disaster. Walhi believes that more energy is being focused on building preparedness for the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis.

Credit: BPBD - Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah

Wengki is unfortunate, because in fact West Sumatra is known for all the natural beauty and local wisdom in preserving and merging with nature. In recent times, according to him, it is precisely the development of the tourism sector that creates novelties that do not merge with nature.

This situation triggered an environmental crisis caused by the tourism sector. The contamination of e coli bacteria, bothers tens of thousands of citizens who rely on water sources for daily needs, such as consumption and bathing, because the water becomes cloudy, smelly and contains bacteria.

Tourists will not come back to the environmentally damaged areas, due to the development of tourism itself.

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