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View all search resultsResponsible AI: A new pathway for managing disaster risks
The use of AI technologies in times of disaster is promising but it carries real risks, especially if systems make errors or rely on flawed data.
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People affected by a flash flood ride a motorcycle along muddy streets and past cow carcasses in Aceh Tamiang, Aceh province on Dec. 6, 2025. (AFP/YT Hariono)
T
he floods and landslides that swept South and Southeast Asia recently were some of the worst in a generation. Families were stranded on rooftops as their homes were engulfed by landslides and water, along with an unusual volume of logs in rivers.
In Indonesia, Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra were hit the hardest, with at least 3.1 million people affected, the death toll rising to over 900, and hundreds more still missing.
A recent study confirmed human-driven climate change intensified the heavy rain, as a warmer atmosphere retains more moisture. Flash floods are hard to predict, occurring within hours of intense rainfall and moving fast. Combined with Sumatra's mountainous topography, the sheer volume of rainfall triggered both flash floods and landslides. These compound events often overwhelm typical disaster responses.
Significant forest loss is suspected to have exacerbated the damage. As land is degraded, the ecosystem is unable to absorb water into the forest floor; as a result, rainwater rushes over the land carrying debris. A satellite analysis revealed that 1,550 hectares of forests in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, have lost their vegetation cover due to mining and oil palm plantations.
With the catastrophic consequences of the disaster, there is an urgent need to evaluate the national readiness and legal mechanisms for risk reduction. Indonesia’s disaster management framework is referred primarily in Law No. 24/2007 on disaster management, supported by the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) guidelines, and Presidential Regulation No. 87/2020, which outlines the Disaster Management Master Plan.
These provisions establish a legal structure that categorizes disaster, mandatory integration of risk reduction into development planning, guaranteed rights and protections for affected populations, and formalized responsibilities for both national and regional governments. The law emphasizes principles such as accountability, coordination, transparency, rapid action, community participation and the use of technology, ensuring that disaster governance is not only reactive but also preventive and risk-informed.
Moreover, Indonesia’s framework assigns the central government and BNPB responsibility for national-level policy, coordination, early-warning systems and budget allocation, while regional governments manage ground-level response, evacuation, relief and recovery.
