KLH Kaji Spatial Planning For Areas Affected By Sumatra Floods

Photos of flood air submerged roads and settlements in Nagari Kampuang Galapuang, Ulakan Tapakis, Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Tuesday (11/25/2025). BETWEEN PHOTOS/Iggoy el Fitra/bar

JAKARTA - Minister of Environment (LH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said he would review spatial planning in areas affected by the Sumatra floods to restore the ecosystem in order to strengthen the carrying capacity and capacity of the environment.

In the socialization of the results of Brazil's 30th UN Climate Change Conference in Jakarta, the Minister of Environment/Head of BPLH, Hanif said that the Ministry of Environment already has a Strategic Environmental Studies document which emphasizes the importance of adding protected areas in a number of potential disaster areas.

"With this incident, we will review it again. So what is reviewed is not only business units that exist along the watershed (DAS), but also spatial planning which then pays no attention to its carrying capacity and capacity," he said.

He gave an example of how currently in West Java there are only 400,000 hectares of protected areas, including water catchment areas, out of 1.6 million hectares.

The same thing was also found in the Toru Basin, which is one of the flood-affected areas in North Sumatra. In the watershed, the remaining forest area is less than 40 percent, even upstream areas are included in other areas of use (APL) which should be protected areas.

Regarding other areas, he said the KLH team was still investigating other areas affected by the disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.

"However, the case is the same if the spatial layout does not pay attention to the carrying capacity, capacity, the obligation of the Minister of Environment to then recommend that the area return to function as it should," he said.

He referred to President Prabowo Subianto's direction to flood events in Sumatra to re-enforce environmental protection in the country, given the consequences when this was not done.

Previously, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra had killed 712 people as of Tuesday afternoon.