December 8, 2025 | 10:01 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The flash floods that struck several provinces in Sumatra in late November 2025 demand more than an emergency empathy. They call for change rooted in radical reflection, one capable of rebuilding the relationship between the state, the production of risk, and the inequality.
The disaster in Sumatra was not merely a hydrometeorological event. It was the embodiment of what German sociologist Ulrich Beck described as manufactured risks—hazards generated by the modernist development model (extractive economies, weak governance, and the expansion of agribusiness) and distributed unevenly across the socio-political landscape. The sheer scale of casualties reveals this, as do the connections between deforestation due to indications of illegal logging and a fragmented state response.
Social scientists like Beck (1944-2015) have long warned that modern societies do more than produce commodities that improve welfare, but they also generate new forms of danger, such as radiation, pollution, climate crisis, and engineered ecological disasters. These threats are all human-made. And they carry real weight because they are comprehensive, crossing national and class boundaries, yet the effects are unevenly distributed.
In other words, everyone faces the possibility of exposure to global risks (such as climate change) but the concrete burdens—death, loss of livelihood, deepened poverty after disaster—fall disproportionately on those who occupy vulnerable socioeconomic positions or live in areas that have experienced ecological damage due to human activities. The crisis of this era generates new uncertainties that cannot be solved by outdated modern instruments without radical institutional changes.
President Prabowo's Promises in His Second Visit to Flood-Hit Sumatra
15 menit lalu
During the visit, Prabowo delivered a number of government commitments aimed at supporting residents impacted by the disaster.
PLN: North Sumatra's Electricity Fully Restored After Floods and Landslides
1 jam lalu
PLN has completed the entire process of restoring the electrical system affected by floods and landslides in North Sumatra.
BNPB Targets Full Electricity Restoration in Aceh by Monday Noon
2 jam lalu
Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, aims for 100% electricity recovery in Aceh by Monday, December 8, 2025.
BNPB: 975,000 People Displaced by Sumatra Floods as Death Toll Reaches 921
2 jam lalu
National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) stated that 975,000 people were displaced by the floods in Sumatra.
Waskita Karya to Rehabilitate Rp282.6 Billion in Irrigation Networks Across Indonesia
2 jam lalu
Waskita Karya has just announced a project to improve and rehabilitate irrigation networks in several regions in Indonesia.
BNPB Estimates Rp51.82 Trillion Needed for Recovery After Sumatra Floods
3 jam lalu
National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reports that a total of 975,000 people have been displaced due to the Sumatra floods.
Indonesian Navy Sends 2,000 Kiloliters of Fuel to Sumatra's Flood Zones
14 jam lalu
In addition to carrying fuel oil, the Indonesian Navy (TNI) tanker ship is carrying supplies for victims of the Sumatra disaster.
Sumatra Floods: Death Toll Rises to 940, Majority of Victims in Aceh
15 jam lalu
The number of casualties from the Sumatra floods has increased compared to the previous day.
Who Bears Responsibility for the Sumatra Floods?
15 jam lalu
The government begins investigating alleged environmental destruction by companies suspected of triggering floods and landslides in Sumatra.
Prabowo to Issue Presidential Instruction for Sumatra Flood Rehabilitation
17 jam lalu
President Prabowo is finalizing a presidential instruction for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Sumatra floods.
