December 6, 2025 | 01:33 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has identified several key activities contributing to the worsening floods in Sumatra, particularly in South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra.
“We have identified at least three main factors driving the floods,” said Hanif, who also heads the Environmental Control Agency, as quoted by Antara on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
He said the greatest environmental pressures in the Batang Toru Watershed stem from plantation forestry operations, major hydropower development projects, and intensive gold mining.
“All of these activities significantly increase environmental stress,” he said.
The disaster has raised fresh concerns over environmental governance in one of Indonesia’s most ecologically sensitive regions.
Hanif said the assessment was based on aerial monitoring and on-site inspections at locations suspected of accelerating surface water runoff. These observations, he noted, highlight worsening conditions in the upper watershed due to land-use expansion.
He added that the upstream zone is also dominated by extensive farmland, both irrigated and dry, which reduces the soil’s ability to absorb rainfall.
Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, when met at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, October 20, 2025. Tempo/M. Faiz Zaki
The Ministry is now conducting detailed field verification to ensure that the data leads to concrete corrective measures. Hanif stressed that environmental recovery efforts must examine the entire ecosystem rather than isolated points.
He also warned that the recent patterns of extreme rainfall should serve as a new baseline for spatial planning and land-use control.
“With rainfall intensities now exceeding 250 to even 300 millimeters, the Ministry and Environmental Control Agency will re-evaluate all environmental approvals in the Batang Toru Watershed,” he said.
As part of this effort, the Ministry is tightening oversight in areas prone to floods and landslides. Two companies in Batang Toru were recently subject to sudden inspections, as authorities recheck environmental permits and spatial compliance for activities on steep slopes, upper catchment zones, and river channels. Legal action will follow if violations that heighten disaster risk are identified.
Hanif said field verifications will continue, including at other companies suspected of adding to environmental pressures that have worsened this year’s flood disaster in Sumatra.
Read: Prabowo Hails Indonesia's Palm Oil After Sumatra Floods Kill Hundreds
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Indonesia Finds 23 Mining Licenses in Areas Hit by Sumatra Floods and Landslides
22 jam lalu
The 23 permits cover four Contracts of Work and 19 mining licenses for metals like gold, iron, and zinc across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Minister Bahlil to Evaluate Mining's Role in Sumatra Flooding Disaster
1 hari lalu
Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that he will deploy a team to inspect mining operations in Aceh and North Sumatra.
Sumatra Floods Strike Fresh Fear in Mine-Riddled West Javan National Park
1 hari lalu
Around 1,400 illegal gold mining pits have formed a labyrinth stretching thousands of kilometers in this national park.
Sumatra Disaster: Celios Calls for Moratorium on Mining and Palm Oil Permits
1 hari lalu
Celios evaluates that ecological disasters, such as floods, not only affect the regional economy but also the national economy.
Gov't to Summon Companies Suspected of Contributing to North Sumatra Floods
3 hari lalu
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry declined to reveal the names of companies suspected of contributing to the North Sumatra floods.
Agincourt Rejects Claims Its Mining Contributed to North Sumatra Floods
3 hari lalu
PT Agincourt Resources, operator of the Martabe gold mine, has denied links between its activities and the South Tapanuli flash floods and landslides.
The NU Leadership's Mining Curse
3 hari lalu
The NU internal conflict is triggered by the struggle to manage a coal concession. A religious organization caught in the grip of natural resources.
Mining Dispute Behind the PBNU's Internal Conflict
4 hari lalu
Management of a coal mine sparks an internal conflict in the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). There are two entrepreneurs who made an offer.
Gov't Says It Will Probe Mining Industry's Role in Deadly Sumatra Floods
4 hari lalu
Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia will visit the three worst-hit provinces on Tuesday to assess conditions and review any mining links to the floods.
Rejection of Mining Concession by NU Cadres and Officials
5 hari lalu
A number of Nahdlatul Ulama officials and cadres oppose the mining project for religious organizations. They are now branded as environmental Wahhabis
