Sumatra’s Deadly Floods Expose Environmental Failures and Mining Risks
Devastating floods and landslides have struck Sumatra, leaving at least 800 dead and 564 missing. The disaster has also disrupted power, blocked roads, and cut off villages from aid. Officials now warn that mining permits could be revoked if companies broke environmental laws.
Between 2001 and 2024, Sumatra lost 4.4 million hectares of forest—an area larger than Switzerland. Green groups argue that deforestation, driven by mining and illegal logging, worsened the flooding. JATAM, an environmental organisation, reports that legal permits for forest conversion into extraction zones cover about 54,000 hectares in the affected provinces, mostly for mining.
Companies like PT Toba Pulp Lestari, PT Toba Bara Sejahtera, and PT Kallista Alam transformed forests into extraction sites between 2000 and 2015. Meanwhile, PT Agincourt Resources, operator of the Martabe gold mine in the Batang Toru ecosystem, denies any direct link between its activities and the floods.
Indonesia’s Environment Minister blames the disaster on climate change and environmental damage, including shrinking forest cover. Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has now threatened to revoke mining permits if investigations find violations. The floods and landslides have also hit neighbouring Malaysia and Thailand, with nearly 200 deaths reported there.
Rescue efforts continue as landslides block roads and cut off power in remote villages. Authorities have pledged to review mining permits, with potential revocations for companies found breaking environmental rules. The disaster has already claimed over 800 lives, with hundreds still missing.
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