Deforestation in spotlight as Asia flood toll hits 1500
Deaths from devastating floods and landslides in parts of Asia have surpassed 1,500 as rescue teams struggle to reach isolated survivors from the disaster, with hundreds of people still missing across the region.
The tragedy of so much death and destruction has been compounded by warnings that decades of deforestation caused by uncontrolled development, mining and palm oil plantations could worsen the devastation. Calls for government action have increased.
“The government needs to investigate and fix forest management,” said Rangga Adiputra, a 31-year-old teacher whose home in West Sumatra was swept away.
The hills above his village on the outskirts of Padang city had been damaged by illegal logging.
“We don’t want this costly disaster to happen again,” he said Thursday.
Officials said that 837 people were confirmed dead in Indonesia, 479 in Sri Lanka, 185 in Thailand and three in Malaysia.
Many villages in Indonesia and Sri Lanka were buried under mud and debris; There is still no news from 861 people in both countries.
It was reported that thousands of people faced serious food and clean water shortages in the blackout areas.
Floods and landslides washed out roads and bridges and disabled telecommunications, making many settlements inaccessible.
Indonesian television broadcast footage of large amounts of felled timber being carried downriver in the provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh.
WALHI, Indonesia’s leading environmental group, said decades of deforestation due to mining, palm oil plantations and illegal logging have eliminated natural defenses that once absorbed rainfall and stabilized the soil.
“The disaster was not just nature’s fury, it was exacerbated by decades of deforestation,” said Rianda Purba, one of the group’s activists.
“Deforestation and uncontrolled development have destroyed Sumatra’s resilience.”
The group noted that more than 240,000 hectares of primary forest would be lost in 2024 alone, leaving Sumatra’s small river basins dangerously exposed.
Global Forest Watch, another environmental group, said Indonesia has lost 19,600 square kilometers of forestland in the floodwater provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra since 2000, an area larger than the state of New Jersey.
“If restoration does not start now, more lives will be lost,” Purba warned.
Massive neatly cut piles were scattered among the debris at Parkit Beach, a sight that stunned emergency teams sent to the area.
“It was clear from their shape that these were not just trees naturally torn apart by the flood, but also deliberately cut timber,” said Neviana, a clean-up crew member who goes by one name.
President Prabowo Subianto promised policy reforms after visiting flood-affected areas on Monday.
“We really need to prevent deforestation and forest degradation. It is very important to protect our forests,” Prabowo said. he said.
In Batang Toru, the worst-hit areas of North Sumatra where seven companies operate, hundreds of hectares have been cleared for gold mining and energy projects, leaving hillsides exposed and riverbeds filled with sediment.
Rivers there were swollen with runoff and timber, and villages were either buried or swept away.
Facing public outrage, Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq announced that an investigation would be launched against eight companies suspected of worsening the disaster.
He said environmental permits would be reviewed and future assessments should take into account extreme rainfall scenarios.
“Someone has to be held accountable,” he said.
