Textile-factory effluent and household waste have severely polluted the Cikijing and Citarum rivers in West Java, turning waterways that once supported farming and fishing into sources of illness and economic loss. Contamination has damaged roughly 1,000 hectares of agricultural land, introduced lead, cadmium and chromium into soils and crops, reduced farm productivity and contributed to respiratory, skin and digestive complaints among residents. Although the government began normalizing the Cikijing River in 2022 and launched the Citarum Harum program after President Joko Widodo’s 2018 directive, environmental advocates warn that recovery will take decades—or may be impossible—without effective industrial wastewater treatment and better household waste management.

Snake hunter Takadi travels across northern Java to catch snakes for local dealers, but habitat conversion, declining populations, tighter protections and falling market demand have sharply reduced his income. Kapetakan’s snake-processing industry, once supported by exports of meat, bile and skins to Asian and European markets, has contracted from eight slaughterhouses in 2011 to three. International concern over sustainability and animal welfare, along with import restrictions and designers’ shift toward alternatives such as buffalo hide, has cut demand roughly in half since 2015.

Majalaya, once known as Indonesia’s “Dollar City” because of its thriving textile industry, is now marked by factory closures, poverty and severe environmental degradation. Textile factories have dumped untreated wastewater into the Cikaro, Cikakembang and Citarum rivers, while coal-fired machinery contributes to persistent air pollution. Residents of Kampung Ciwalengke face contaminated water, inadequate sanitation, open defecation and high costs for clean water, alongside widespread respiratory infections, dermatitis and other illnesses. The Citarum Harum task force has removed waste and sealed some illegal sewage pipes, but activists argue that enforcement is limited and that the programme fails to address poverty, sanitation and residents’ lack of alternatives. Local communities continue to demand basic access to clean water and fresh air.

The Citarum River begins at the relatively clean Cisanti Lake, where the military-led Citarum Harum task force has removed invasive plants and improved conditions since 2018. Downstream, however, deforestation, intensive vegetable farming, cattle manure, pesticides, domestic waste and industrial pollution continue to degrade the river, causing sedimentation, flooding and threats to reservoirs that supply water and electricity to millions. Government officials promote communal cowsheds, settling ponds and reforestation, but implementation has been weak. Farmers argue that low and unstable incomes, rented land and inadequate infrastructure make it impossible to abandon productive farmland, while environmental advocates say responsibility must be shared across the entire upstream-to-downstream system rather than placed solely on farmers.

A photographer documents eight years of worsening pollution in Indonesia’s Citarum River, linking its toxic chemical contamination to textile factories and its pervasive trash problem to inadequate public waste services and household dumping. The river contains hazardous substances including mercury, lead, chromium, zinc, copper, and sulphates, while pollution has contaminated groundwater and rice paddies and contributed to health problems among nearby residents. Environmental groups won a 2016 lawsuit that made pollution by three factories illegal, and government initiatives such as Citarum Harum aim to restore the river. However, weak enforcement, limited waste infrastructure, and continued industrial activity have undermined progress. President Joko Widodo’s pledge to restore the river within seven years is challenged by photographic evidence showing that conditions around Majalaya remain largely unchanged.

In Kapetakan, West Java, Sugandhi runs a village-wide gecko-hunting operation that employs hunters across six villages. Geckos are caught with glue-coated sticks, cleaned, roasted, dried and packaged, with women handling the final packaging. The animals are sold as alternative medicine for itchy skin and allergies despite little scientific evidence, and are also used in cosmetics. Sugandhi says major buyers come from China and the United States.

Cipacing in West Java has manufactured air rifles for roughly a century, evolving from blacksmithing and Dutch rifle repair into a major center for inexpensive weapons. The village’s makers supplied civilians, athletes, hunters and prominent Indonesian military and political figures, but the industry suffered a serious backlash after accepting orders from terrorist groups, including the Abu Roban network. Police raids and the conviction of a middleman prompted manufacturers to tighten screening and restrict sales to legitimate sporting customers.