Degradasi Sungai Lematang Dan Ketidakadilan Ekologi Di Kabupaten Lahat: Analisis Politik Ekologi Dampak Pltu Batubara

Abstract

Lahat Regency exemplifies the paradox of extractive development in Indonesia, where the expansion of coal mining and the operation of the Keban Agung coal-fired power plant (2×135 MW)—often promoted as drivers of regional economic growth—have instead produced systematic ecological degradation of the Lematang River. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining laboratory testing, field observation, and in-depth interviews, to examine the link between industrial activities and water quality deterioration. The findings reveal severe acidification in the Pole River (pH 4.33–4.48), posing a direct threat to the Lematang River, the primary water source for 5,892 residents in three affected villages. The declining pH gradient from upstream to downstream indicates continuous acid loading originating from Fly Ash and Bottom Ash (FABA) discharge of the power plant. Documented socio-ecological impacts include a 60–70% decline in agricultural yields, a 50–60% reduction in fish catch, and a decrease in the Water Quality Index (WQI) from 85.7 (2021) to 76.8 (2024). Using the framework of political ecology, this research demonstrates how local communities have become “sacrifice zones”, bearing the negative externalities of extractive operations without equitable benefit sharing. The study identifies regulatory capture and state failure as structural mechanisms that perpetuate environmental injustice and asymmetric power relations. Conceptually, this work contributes to the literature on extractive industries and water commons degradation, while empirically providing a foundation for policy reform and environmental justice advocacy in Indonesia’s coal-producing regions.