Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has criticized bottled water companies for overexploiting groundwater resources, warning that the practice poses a serious long-term threat to the environment.
Hanif said that despite many brands claiming their products come from “mountain springs,” nearly all bottled water in Indonesia still relies on groundwater extraction. He urged the public not to be misled by packaging or marketing that portrays the water as naturally sourced from mountain or surface springs.
“There isn’t a single bottled water company in Indonesia that truly uses surface water sustainably,” Hanif said on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, while adding that large-scale groundwater extraction by corporations is unsustainable and environmentally damaging.
“Name any international bottled water company operating here ‒ they all still use groundwater,” he emphasized.
Hanif cited that groundwater is extremely difficult to replenish, taking decades or even centuries to recover once depleted. He lamented that corporate conservation efforts remain mostly rhetorical rather than practical.
“Groundwater doesn’t come back. Even if we died 50 times over, the groundwater wouldn’t reach Jakarta again,” he remarked.
The minister called on companies to integrate sustainable water management and conservation into their long-term business strategies, especially those whose operations depend directly on natural resources such as water.
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