Residents in Indonesia’s Aceh Tamiang region are enduring desperate conditions, with many forced to trek for an hour over treacherous terrain to access vital aid, as the death toll from devastating floods and landslides across Sumatra this month has surged past 900.
Government data released on Saturday confirmed 908 fatalities and 410 individuals still missing across three Indonesian provinces on Sumatra, including Aceh, following cyclone-induced deluges.
The same storm systems also claimed approximately 200 lives in southern Thailand and Malaysia.
Survivors in Aceh Tamiang, located on Sumatra’s northeast coast, described arduous journeys to reach volunteer-run aid centres.
They navigated scattered logs and overturned vehicles, a testament to the widespread destruction. Volunteers distributed clean clothing and provided fresh water from tanker trucks, offering a lifeline to those affected.
Dimas Firmansyah, a 14-year-old student at an Islamic boarding school, recounted a harrowing week trapped at his school after access to Aceh Tamiang was severed.
Students took turns foraging for food and resorted to boiling floodwater for consumption. “We stayed for about a week there,” Dimas stated, appealing for government officials to witness the calamity firsthand.
Local government officials on Sumatra have urged Jakarta to declare a national emergency, hoping to unlock additional funds for rescue and relief operations.
However, President Prabowo Subianto earlier this week suggested the situation was improving and current arrangements were adequate.
Environmental groups are attributing the amplified damage from the floods to widespread deforestation linked to mining and logging activities.
In response, Indonesia’s environment ministry has launched an investigation into companies suspected of clearing forests in flood-affected zones.
The ministry has temporarily suspended the operations of these suspected firms, mandating them to undergo environmental audits. Among the companies identified are North Sumatra Hydro Energy, which operates a China-funded 510-megawatt hydropower plant in North Sumatra’s Batang Toru region, and Agincourt
Resources, responsible for the Martabe Gold Mine, also in Batang Toru. Aerial surveys have indicated land-clearing in Batang Toru that may have worsened the flooding. Neither North Sumatra Hydro Energy nor Agincourt Resources immediately responded to requests for comment.
