Anthon jason
“Det, it is better for me to die fighting against geothermal, than to die because of the impact of geothermal.” Eme’s words in the film “Di Bawah Bayang-Bayang Mata Bor”
struck at the core of our humanity for all who watched the film. The screening was conducted at a parallel session of the Unconference entitled Polarization and Its Discontent in the Global South on April 24, 2025. The 32-minute film was produced by Terracota Films, Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Indonesia (PBHI) Jawa Barat, and BandungBergerak.
The struggle of Eme and other communities at the foot of Mount Tampomas, Sumedang, who survived and resisted the geothermal project plan, is depicted in the documentary film. Chevron, as the company which won the auction for the geothermal project, has repeatedly tried to enter and execute the project but continues to be rejected by the surrounding community. Local people fear that drilling for a geothermal power plant on Mount Tampomas will pollute the springs that support 25,000 people and will threaten the preservation of 12,460 hectares of forest. Eme’s rejection with the surrounding residents in fighting the geothermal project was due to learning from other areas in Indonesia that experienced ecological damage after the entry of geothermal projects into their communities.
The discussion after the movie screening at the unconference that day was special because it was presented directly by Mr. Eme and seven other people. They represent affected communities where geothermal projects are already operating or where exploration is taking place. Of the seven people who attended and shared their experiences, two of them, from Dieng in Central Java and Mandailing Natal in North Sumatra, have felt their living space threatened by existing geothermal power plants.
The Stolen Living Space: Air, Land and Water Poisoned
‘I am 27 years old, and that’s how long I have lived side by side with the Geothermal project in Dieng. Geothermal in Dieng has been in existence since 1978, from exploration to exploitation until now.” This was the opening statement of a representative from Dieng who recounted his experience. The trend of cancer is very high in Dieng, and it is strongly suspected that this is because the community’s living space has been polluted by the Geothermal project. The water in the area is polluted with heavy metals such as zinc, lead, arsenic, and other metals, according to laboratory test results. It not only contaminates the water, but also the air is polluted within the radius of this geothermal working area. For decades, the community has had to live with these horrors, but they used to not have access to prove that the damaged environment was the result of this geothermal project.
Geothermal projects are seen as clean energy, and one method to solve the problem of global climate change by reducing carbon emissions caused by coal and oil- fired power plants. Yet they end up causing other environmental problems in local communities. The electricity obtained from geothermal projects is paid for by the destruction of nature, land, water and air which are the living space of local ecosystems. Now, with all the damage caused and the negative impacts felt by local residents, there is a plan to expand the geothermal project in Dieng further to new sites. This, of course, has been rejected by local residents.
Another horror story came from the representative of Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra. From 2008 to 2014 the rejection of the Geothermal project was very massive by the residents there. Unfortunately, in 2015 there was an incident that resulted in a resident being killed, so the government stepped in using the law and finally the geothermal plant began operating. He explained about the impact of the development on the community by saying, “Is geothermal green energy? All the antithesis is in Mandailing Natal, there are residents who died, residents who were exposed to toxic Hydrogen Sulfide gas.”
With all the stories of environmental damage, many regions have rejected geothermal projects in their areas. A representative from Poco Leok, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, shared his experience of joining the geothermal rejection movement in his area. In the context of the Flores islands, there are various hidden agendas that are included in this green economy project. Geothermal projects in the Flores islands have a kind of “hidden” mission from the mining transition agenda to the “politics of tourism” and energy that the government claims to be part of the green economy. In fact, the results are more destructive, such as land grabbing, regulatory manipulation, discrimination, violence, unfair compensation, environmental pollution, the loss of cultural heritage, and the seizure of local people’s living space. Of course, with all these facts and stories, the geothermal project in Flores was rejected by residents.
Religion and Culture: Resistance Efforts
Therefore, with shared concerns regarding the environmental impact of geothermal projects in their respective regions, these activities and others came together and established connections to enhance their resilience in the face of potential environmental degradation. Some participants reside in Dieng, where the geothermal project is currently underway. The team observed and assessed the environmental impact of the project. Some also learned about the efforts of local communities to be empowered in preventing the project from entering their area. These experiences were subsequently shared by the representatives.
A valuable note from the discussion was how the representatives discussed the role of religion and culture in empowering them to be able to maintain the sustainability of their environment. Can religion and culture become a shield to protect their territory from potential environmental damage? One participant shared that different religions and beliefs do not make them distant. They became close because they shared the same concerns about their environment.
One of the participants, a representative from the foothills of Mount Gede, said: “Islam teaches us to believe, to act because we have beliefs. Religion teaches that the mountain is not just a forest, especially in Islam, the mountain is also a creature.” He further shared that as a farmer, he has always felt that the mountain benefits his life. He questioned why people could not see the benefits of this great mountain and instead wanted to implement a geothermal project that would damage the mountain’s ecosystem. Data by Faizi and Syatori (2017) confirm that Mount Ciremai provides an abundance of resources for people living on its slopes, especially for residents of several villages in this study, namely Pejambon, Sukamukti, Cisantana, Gandasoli, and Puncak. [ix] The introduction of geothermal projects in the area would have negative consequences for thousands of residents who depend on the land, water, and air resources of the mountain.
Meanwhile, another representative of Dieng said that they were resisting by organising a cultural festival. August 23-27, 2023, was the third year that the Sethulu Festival was held. One of the activities in this festival is slametan banyu in the form of taking spring water and then pouring it into a tumpeng (vegetables shaped to resemble a mountain) that was then distributed to the community. The festival also hosted an environmental religious recitation and a folk stage. Sethulu is the place where the spring is the source of life for thousands of residents. From this spring, clean water flows into people’s homes and irrigates thousands of hectares of rice fields. This festival rings a bell for awareness of the importance of the environment, in this case specifically springs. It reminds us to not let springs become dry or polluted and cause tears for thousands of affected residents.