Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Satellite imagery records from 2016 to 2025 show massive land clearing in
North Sumatra
.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) North Sumatra noted that in the last 10 years, 2 thousand hectares of forest in North Sumatra were damaged.
This is thought to be the cause of the flash floods that hit a number of areas, not solely due to extreme weather.
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“The destruction of forests there was caused, yes, triggered yes, by several companies. So we deny the statement from the Governor of North Sumatra that the flooding was due to extreme weather. But the main trigger was not this extreme weather, the main trigger was forest destruction and the conversion of land from forest to non-forest,” said North Sumatra Walhi Executive Director Rianda Purba in a press conference, Monday (1/12), refuting North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution’s statement.
A similar statement was also made by the Legal Aid Institute and the Western Regional Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation which stated that the landslide and flood disasters could not be separated from the impact of the climate crisis related to deforestation activities and the massive granting of concession permits to mining and plantation companies in the Sumatra region.
“This shows the Government’s failure in managing chaotic forest areas by granting or at least facilitating business permits for plantations, mining and also the widespread conversion of land for the sake of hydropower projects spread across various points in the Sumatra region,” said LBH.
LBH noted that in the 2020-2024 period, hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed in West Sumatra alone.
This is systemic and sustainable, as can be seen from satellite imagery which shows damage in conservation areas and protected forests such as in the hilly areas of Kerinci Seblat National Park.
Illegal mining and illegal logging are increasingly worsening this situation, as is happening in the Dharmasraya, Agam, Tanah Datar and Pesisir Selatan areas.
This deforestation means that there are no longer any trees that function to absorb water, so large amounts of water runoff lead to floods and puddles like in the city of Padang.
“The government through the Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of ATR BPN, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Ministry of the Environment must also be responsible for ensuring that this incident does not happen again by immediately carrying out a total evaluation and moratorium or suspension of new permits for extractive industries,” wrote LBH.
Flash floods and landslides hit a number of areas in West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh.
Quoting the BNPB website on Tuesday (2/12) morning, the death toll reached 604 people.The most deaths were in North Sumatra with 283 people, West Sumatra with 165 people, and Aceh with 156 people.
North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution previously said that the flood and landslide disasters in North Sumatra were triggered by extreme weather.This was stated by Bobby on Bobbynst’s Instagram account.
“Extreme weather and long-lasting high-intensity rain caused floods and landslides in several areas of North Sumatra, including Sibolga City, Central Tapanuli Regency, North Tapanuli, and South Tapanuli. This hydrometeorological disaster has caused thousands of residents’ houses to be submerged, road access cut off, and even claimed lives,” wrote Bobby.
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