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loods and landslides that struck 34 regencies and cities across Indonesia over the past two months have claimed the lives of 55 people and caused Rp 2 trillion (US$215 million) in material losses, an environment group said.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi)’s manager for Sumatra region, Mukri Friatna, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday impacts from floods were expected to rise given the current rainy season and extreme weather, which is predicted to last until May this year,

He said the figure was significant compared to last year, when floods claimed 225 lives, led to 158 missing and Rp 5.3 trillion in material losses.

“The condition would be even worse [this year] if no immediate precautions are taken.”

Mukri said Indonesia had adequate environment protection laws, such as the 24/2007 Law on Disaster
Management and the 27/2007 Law on National Spatial Planning.

“The problem is, the provincial and central governments fail to implement these laws well. The development paradigm still centers on capital orientation, not social.

“This has allowed capitalists to exploit natural resources without heeding the status of an area and its sustainability.”

Mukri blamed the floods that recently hit Bogor and Jakarta to the changing function of the Halimun Salak National Park.

Similar reasons, he said, had caused floods in Tanggamus regency in Lampung, which he blamed on severe damage at the protected forests and the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. In Bandarlampung, floods were blamed on land conversion in hills around the city.

Data at the Lampung Forestry Office showed that Lampung is home to 1,083,747 hectares of forested areas, comprising protected forests (336,100 hectares), natural reserve forests or national park (442,500 hectares), fixed production forests (281,029 hectares) and limited production forests (44,120 hectares).

Head of the forest exploitation division at the Lampung Forestry Office Priyanto Putro said almost 50 percent of forests in Lampung were in critical condition.

“Based on the 2009 data, 462,000 hectares of the forests in Lampung are categorized as critical and not productive. They could disrupt water sources and cause global warming,” he said.

Meanwhile, flooded swamp lead to the deaths of a family of four late Tuesday in West Tulangbawang regency as they were returning home from harvesting rice. Three were found the same night while another was found Wednesday morning.

West Tulangbawang Regent Bachtiar Basri, who led the search mission, said farm workers usually used boats to go to work as many ricefields were flooded. Floods have caused swamp water to rise from a usual one meter to two meters.

Nearly all rice production centers in Lampung are engulfed in floods. Besides West Tulangbawang. Those affected are located in Central, South and East Lampung regencies.