Representatives of local communities from Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), have voiced rejection of a technical team report commissioned by the NTT Governor in support of geothermal projects in several areas of the province, which they claimed as disconnected from realities and posing threats to the livelihood of indigenous communities.

“The report presented by the Governor’s technical team is, frankly, a misleading report,” Yosep, a community representative, told a press conference facilitated by the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) on Friday, July 11, 2025.

He added, “We don’t know where their data comes from. Who says everything is safe and there’s no public resistance? If anyone says that, it’s a crime.”

Yosep stressed that Indigenous communities had never consented to the project.

“Since 2018, we have consistently rejected this ecological plan. We never gave any recommendation to anyone. If someone claims we did, that’s a crime,” he emphasized.

The issue of relocation also came under fire. Tony, a resident of Mataloko, criticized the team’s recommendation to relocate residents near the geothermal sites.

“Girotoko village is directly affected. Its residents had to relocate on their own without help from the government or the company. Will all traditional villages be evicted next?” he said.

Access to clean water remains a critical concern. “They say exploration water needs won’t take from sources used by residents, but I think there’s no water here that isn’t used by the people. Every water source is vital to us,” Tony said.

He also revealed that after a previous geothermal operation, hot mud erupted on community land, not at the official drilling site. “(State electricity company) PLN even fenced off the site and banned residents from entering. This is an act of concealing environmental damage. Is this what responsibility looks like?”

The Flores-Lembata Civil Coalition has issued a strong call to halt all geothermal activities across East Nusa Tenggara, citing prolonged community suffering, environmental destruction, and human rights abuses.

The coalition − which represents affected residents from Wae Sano, Poco Leok, Ulumbu, Mataloko, Nage, Sokoria, and Atadei in Lembat.The coalition outlined extensive community grievances. In Mataloko, hot steam and mud have erupted in farmland, affecting over 2,000 square meters. In Nage, ancestral homes have cracked apart. In Sokoria, natural springs have turned discolored and foul-smelling, forcing residents to buy water for basic needs. In Poco Leok, residents resisting land seizures have faced violence, intimidation, and sexual assault—with 17 people reportedly criminalized.

The coalition also denounced manipulation tactics used by companies and authorities, including deceptive public consultations, bribery through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, and information blackouts. “Our communities were divided by promises of jobs and aid. Meanwhile, those who stood firm were isolated and pressured.”

Residents described geothermal development as a threat to the spiritual and cultural integrity of Indigenous land, especially in Wae Sano, where the earth is viewed as a living cosmological unity. “If drilling continues,” the statement warned, “Wae Sano will be erased − its people and culture extinguished.