Jakarta, Aug. 10 -- Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq urged regional governments to carry out environmental management, including waste management, as a form of long-term investment.

"Pollution, waste piles, and environmental damage must be ended now. The central and regional governments must be at the forefront, but the community must also be part of the solution," he said.

This was conveyed by the minister at an environmental coordination meeting in Cianjur, West Java, on Saturday, according to a statement.

He noted that when environmental damage occurs, the cost to recover it will be even higher than the cost to prevent the damage.

Nurofiq particularly highlighted data from the National Waste Management Information System (...