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View all search resultsEnvironmental degradation in spotlight in Sumatra floods
The loss of forest due to human activities, including mining and plantation businesses, was a cause of the widespread flooding and landslides in northern Sumatra when Tropical Cyclone Senyar made landfall on the island, according to environmentalists.
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A village is seen from above on Dec. 2 following a flash flood in Batang Toru district, South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra. (Reuters/Stringer)
D
eadly floods and landslides across northern Sumatra have intensified public scrutiny of extractive industries, with environmental groups warning that years of weak oversight have magnified the scale of the ecological disaster.
Tropical Cyclone Senyar made landfall in northern Sumatra on Nov. 25, unleashing extreme rain and winds that triggered massive flooding and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces. At least 3.1 million people were affected with 770 killed, some 2,600 injured and nearly 500 still missing as of Wednesday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Environmental organizations, such as the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), attributed the severe toll to large-scale deforestation and lackluster enforcement of environmental regulations.
The group noted that 1.4 million hectares of forest cover had been cleared across the three provinces between 2016 and 2025 to make way for businesses such as plantations and mining.
“These facts clearly show that today’s ecological disasters are caused by state officials and corporations. The government needs to evaluate all business permits, especially ones located in critical ecosystems,” Walhi forest and plantation campaigner Uli Arta Siagian said on Monday.
Data from Walhi show areas hardest-hit by floods and landslides were degraded watersheds (DAS). In North Sumatra, for instance, the flood-stricken regencies of South, Central and North Tapanuli and Sibolga City sit within the Batang Toru watershed, which lost nearly 73,000 ha of forest between 2016 and 2024.
The group alleged activities by seven companies, including gold miner PT Agincourt Resources and pulp producer PT Toba Pulp Lestari, significantly contributed to the environmental degradation.
