Ecological Disaster In Sumatra

JAKARTA - Flash floods and landslides that hit Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra on November 25-30, 2025, left victims and thousands of refugees who lost property including houses. The government feels stuttering to deal with the disaster, although a number of people have asked for the disaster that occurred in Aceh - Sumatra to be declared a national disaster status.

The government has been able to take over, previously how many local governments stated that they were unable to handle the disaster themselves, there were even several regents at that location who stated that they could not and raised the white flag to surrender.

Some people seem frustrated waiting for help to arrive, so that some institutions independently took the initiative to take moving steps to save them, in the midst of the government's dream. There are some people who are forced to consume water rain because there is no clean water.

Students who survived flash floods passed through a rocky road in Jorong Kayu Pasak Selatan, Nagari Salareh Aia, Palembayan, Agam, West Sumatra, Tuesday (9/12/2025). (ANTARA/Wahdi Septiawan)

"It's okay"

"It's okay"

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The Minister of Environment (LH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, after knowing the origin of the wood came from PT Agincourt Resources, PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (PTPN III), and PT North Sumatra Hydro Energy (NSHE) is the developer of the Batang Toru hydropower plant, which is suspected of destroying the watershed. Later, the Batang Toru and Garuga watersheds were declared sealed due to the discovery of the company in the watershed forest area, due to the damage to watersheds that were known to cause flooding and carried wood carried by the current.

Various assessments identified what really happened to the disaster incident at that location. The Governor of Aceh, Mualim said the incident reminded Aceh of what happened in the second tsunami incident, because it was to see the damage caused.

Surakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMS) Teacher Dr. Annisa Trisnia Sasmi, S.Si, flash floods in Sumatra, not a single factor, but a combination by several fakt0r, in addition to tropical cyclones, as well as the result of human greed in managing nature.

Meteorological data shows rain that flushed the island of Sumatra reaching more than 300 millimeters per day, a figure that is classified as extreme for the tropics. This condition is reinforced by the presence of Tropical Cyclone Senyar (previously detected as the seeds of a storm of 95B) in the Malacca Strait, which attracts large amounts of water vapor and concentrates precipitation in the areas of Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra.

The flash floods and landslides drowned several villages, damaged public facilities, and cut off access to electricity, roads, and paralyzed communication. The situation continued to worsen day by day. Some residents could not get help because road access was cut off at several points.

The Dashboard of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) noted that the number of victims continued to increase. Data as of December 4, 2025 at 13.05 WIB, the number of victims who died was validated, the number of victims reached 776 people, 564 were missing, and 2.6 thousand people were injured. Data on the 7th day of the BNPB disaster confirmed the death toll reached 841 people and hundreds of people were declared missing

Illustration of the impact of flash floods in Padang Sumatra (doc BNPB)

"It's okay"

"It's okay"

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"It's okay"

Sumatra is home to active volcano, massive faults such as the Sumatran Fault, and high rainfall. Every year, nature works in its own cycle, heavy rain, rivers carry mud from mountains, and the earth sometimes vibrates.

When it rains for too long, the fragile slopes begin to weaken. The soil that used to be sturdy saturates with the water. On certain nights, there can be a faint sound like a small crack, a sign of movement of the soil structure a sign of a restless nature.

But nature is not only restless; it is also crying. The vast forests of Sumatra used to be a water guard, a carbon store, and a disaster shield. But in the last decade, some forests have turned into monocultur gardens, open mines, and buildings.

Big trees whose roots bind to the slopes have decreased a lot. The river, which used to be clear, now seems to carry deeper mud. When heavy rains came, the water no longer absorbed slowly into the ground it flowed wildly, causing the river to overflow and the slope collapsed.

Perturbed Ecology makes nature lose its balance.

In some places, road construction, settlements, and economic activity are carried out without a comprehensive calculation of the carrying capacity of the soil. The hill is cut too steep, the waterways are inadequate, and the drainage is poor.

When extreme rains fall, which is now becoming more frequent due to climate change, water overflows from all directions. The cut slope land is easy to landslide. While downstream people face floods that come faster and bigger than before.

The sea is getting warmer, the water vapor is getting more and more, extreme rain is getting more frequent. In Sumatra, the weather pattern is no longer easy to predict. Rain suddenly comes outside the season. Small rivers suddenly filled. Forest fires are easier to occur when the dry season is elongated. In fact, it is inevitable to sweep everything a number of houses have passed, especially around the river flow, a number of infrastructure that has been swept away, settlements around the riverbank, several bridges and road facilities and infrastructure were damaged and

Air photos of workers and heavy equipment completing the emergency construction of the Meureudu bridge in Pidie Jaya, Aceh, Monday (8/12/2025) BETWEEN MEN'S PHOTOS/IRWANSYAH

"It's okay"

"It's okay"

"It's okay"

"It's okay"

Walhi data from a 2019 DLKH report on the number of palm oil caps around North Sumatra and Aceh, reaching what was planted was upstream of the 3.37 million river. in most watersheds. No longer able to enter into water as a result, the water lag watershed functions.

Experts note that the damage to the carrying capacity of the environment due to the strengthening of aspects of forest plants that have been replaced into monocultural plants such as palm oil has weakened the nature of Sumatra. So that it is easy to become an area that is prone to flooding and landslides, especially in steep and hilly topographic areas. Changes in land function without risk studies. Bad drainage and spatial planning do not match the carrying capacity.

Also the rain is exacerbated by climate change factors, extreme rain more often, erratic weather patterns, flood and landslide risk increases

Later, the Batang Toru watershed and Garuga watershed were declared sealed due to the discovery of a forest area company around the watershed, due to watershed damage known after the flood brought a turn of wood.

According to Chelios Executive Director, Bima Yudistira. The losses due to flash floods reached 68 trillion in Sumatra, reaching 68 trillion. And this has been prepared by the Minister of Finance Purbawa, according to him, if the funds are not sufficient, they are ready to mine.