Legal Literacy - The figures released by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as of December 10, 2025 are not just statistics, but a loud death knell ringing from the west of Indonesia. As many as 967 lives were lost, 262 people went missing, and 850 thousand residents were forced to evacuate in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

This tragedy left behind massive physical destruction, namely 157 thousand houses destroyed, nearly 500 bridges broken, and hundreds of schools flattened. However, behind the mud and rubble, there is a much more terrible message that nature is sending to us. What is happening in Sumatra today is a "trailer" of an ecological horror film being played in Kalimantan. If we fail to read this warning, Kalimantan is just waiting its turn to face a similar disaster with characteristics that may be far more torturous.

Governance Failure: The Collapse of the Bukit Barisan Fortress

The disaster in Sumatra is not just a "natural disaster", but the bitter fruit of the accumulation of ecological damage that has been allowed for two decades. The flash floods and landslides that swept through these three provinces stemmed from one source of the problem, namely the destruction of the ecological fortress in the Bukit Barisan mountains.

Data speaks honestly. In North Sumatra, the disaster hit the Batang Toru Ecosystem area, where deforestation has wiped out 72,938 hectares of forest (2016-2024) for the operations of 18 companies. In Aceh, the critical Singkil watershed has lost 66% of its forest cover in the last ten years. Likewise in West Sumatra, the upstream of the Aia Dingin watershed, which should be the buffer for the city of Padang, is barren due to human activity.

This pattern indicates a mega-failure of ecosystem management. The government neglects to protect the upstream area, and we are paying the price with hundreds of lives.