604 people dead, 464 people missing according to the latest data from the devastating floods and landslides that struck West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh in late November and early December 2025. Thousands of families have been shattered, children have lost their parents, and futures have been buried under thick, unforgiving mud.
The government will likely return with the classic narrative: “extreme rainfall” or a “disaster from God.” But let’s stop lying to ourselves. Rain indeed falls from the sky, but the deluge that killed hundreds of our brothers and sisters was “sent” by human greed on the ground. This disaster is a bill coming due a debt collected by nature for the forests we have mercilessly slaughtered.
A Shameful “Champion”
We must have the courage to point fingers at the root cause: Unchecked Deforestation.
Reports circulate calling Indonesia a “champion” of deforestation, with the loss of approximately 10.5 million hectares of forest. This is not an achievement; it is a national disgrace. Millions of hectares of tropical rainforest once our natural fortress have vanished, replaced by monoculture plantations and mining pits.
When forests are “razed to the ground,” we don’t just lose trees. We lose our life support system. Hydrology and environmental experts have identified the main factors: massive land conversion strips the soil of its absorption capacity. Without tree roots to grip the soil and absorb water, even the slightest rain can turn into a deadly monster.
Nature Raped, Humans Suffer
Greenpeace has stated unequivocally that the floods and landslides in Sumatra are the direct impact of environmental degradation. Upstream river areas that should be lush and green are now bald and critical.
We forget that Indonesia’s tropical forests are among the world’s largest oxygen producers. Yet ironically, we are destroying these “lungs of the world” ourselves.
The Silent Scream of Innocent Creatures
When I look at this photo, my heart breaks. A deep, spreading sadness takes over. The sight of piled logs, thick mud, and the debris of destroyed homes is a silent witness to the horror that unfolded.
Source: Instagram @republikaonline
But behind the human casualty numbers, there is another tragedy often forgotten. It is not just humans who are victims, but millions of other living beings.
When the flash floods hit, wild animals in the forest from the Sumatran tiger to the elephants screaming in silence and tiny insects had no early warning system. They were swept away by raging currents, their nests destroyed, and their habitats vanished in an instant.
Livestock and pets were not spared either. They died drowning or buried alive in landslides, trapped in fear. They are the most helpless victims, paying the highest price for the human greed that destroyed their home. Their suffering is silent, unrecorded in official statistics, yet it is real and heartbreaking.
Stop Blaming the Rain!
The death of 604 souls and the suffering of countless other creatures must be a turning point. We can no longer tolerate a government that so easily hands out concession permits in protected forests or water catchment areas.
Every single land clearing permit signed on a bureaucratic desk is now paid for in cash with lives. The government is busy talking about investment and economic growth, but what kind of economy is built atop mass graves and the annihilation of biodiversity?
If this deforestation is not stopped not just reduced, but stopped then brace yourselves. Sumatra will not sink because of rising sea levels, but it will drown in the mud from the barren hills we created ourselves.
Our forests are gone. Now, it is our tears that flow, along with the vanishing life within them.
References:
Korban Meninggal Bencana Sumatera Capai 604 Orang, Hilang 464
Ini 3 Faktor Utama Penyebab Banjir Bandang Sumatera Menurut Pakar
Greenpeace Sebut Banjir dan Longsor di Sumatera Imbas Degradasi Lingkungan
Heboh! 10,5 Juta Hektare Hutan Hilang, Indonesia Jadi Jawara Deforestasi
Mengejutkan! Hutan Tropis Indonesia Jadi Penghasil Oksigen Terbesar Dunia, Tapi Terancam Hilang?