Floods and Landslides Hit Three Regencies in North Sumatra

Heavy rainfall on 20-21 May 2026 triggered floods and landslides across three regencies in North Sumatra (Sumut): Tapanuli Utara, Pakpak Bharat and Padanglawas Utara. The regencies were Tapanuli Utara, Pakpak Bharat and Padanglawas Utara.

The Head of Emergency Handling, Equipment and Logistics at the North Sumatra BPBD (Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah), Sri Wahyuni Pancasilawati, said that in Tapanuli Utara the floods inundated four subdistricts: Sipahutar, Purbatua Rumah, Siborongborong and Simangumban.

‘In Sipahutar Subdistrict, eight hectares of rice fields were flooded,’ she said on Friday (22/5).

‘In Purbatua Rumah Subdistrict, four houses were flooded,’

In Siborongborong, some community rice crops were at risk of crop failure due to flooding. In Simangumban Subdistrict, the river overflowed, making the road access from Simangumban Jae Village to Silosung impassable at present.

‘Not only floods, landslides also occurred in Harianja Village, Pangaribuan Subdistrict, and Dolok Sanggul Village, Simangumban Subdistrict. The landslide occurred on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, following heavy rains,’ she added.

The landslides rendered a 20-metre stretch of road impassable to vehicles. There are two landslide points at Sipabang, Dolok Sanggul, with road access currently cut off.

Meanwhile, in Pakpak Bharat Regency, heavy rain and strong winds caused landslides on Jalan Desa Sibongkaras toward Desa Kuta Tinggi in Salak Subdistrict on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

‘The landslides at these two points have been addressed by the local government. However, there are three other points that have not yet been dealt with, so heavy machinery such as Excavators from the Dinas PUPR and the Dinas Pertanian Pakpak Bharat is required,’ she explained.

Heavy rain also caused flooding in Desa Kuta Tinggi, Salak Subdistrict. One dwelling and agricultural land of about five hectares were flooded.

Sri Wahyuni added that heavy rain also triggered a landslide in Padanglawas Utara Regency, at Sababangunan Village, Padang Bolak Subdistrict. She confirmed there were no casualties in the incident.

‘The intense rainfall caused a landslide on the Batang Pane riverbank at the Pondok Pesantren Tahfidz Quran, Sababangunan. There are no casualties and field personnel are currently conducting assessments,’ she said.