Respecting Mother Nature

It has been a tragic few days. Still reeling from a landslide in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesians on Monday afternoon had to come to grips with news of a major air crash in Medan, North Sumatra.

We hope that both tragedies will continue to be accorded the same attention, without one overshadowing the other as is often the case when a "bigger" event comes along.

While the tragedy in West Sumatra was more localized in nature, it serves as a warning of the consequences of man's heedlessness toward nature.

Though the landslide was triggered by torrential rain that began on Thursday afternoon and lasted through the next day, deforestation, and resulting erosion in the Gaung Hill area, contributed as much to the incident as the rain did.

At least 17 people -- many of them infants and children -- died when the hillside collapsed onto the remote village before daybreak on Friday.

Ironically, according to locals, the area has a history of landslides. A decade ago a similar incident killed six people in a house that was swallowed up by falling mud and rocks.

The tragedy reminds us of the massive garbage slide at the Leuwigajah dump in Bandung, West Java, earlier this year, which killed 143 people.

All of these events could have been avoided.

It is mystifying how human beings can be so inconsiderate of nature and think that their recklessness will not bring about disastrous consequences.

The mountainous terrain in itself should provide ample warning that people who choose to live in the area must maintain a degree of vigilance. The advent of torrential rain should have cautioned people of the dangers that might arise.

We welcome the government's move to appropriate Rp 1.5 billion (US$150,000) to relocate the remaining residents of Gaung subdistrict who may still be in peril from landslides. We hope that the money will be disbursed as expeditiously as possible, as promised, and not be held up by unnecessary bureaucracy.

We would urge residents of the area, and other locations prone to landslides, to seriously consider relocating before there is a repetition of Friday's tragedy. Local administrations can prove their worth by facilitating and educating residents who live in these areas.

Very often it does not involve a significant shift in location or impact on the livelihoods of the families. A few hundred meters can make all the difference.

Despite these precautionary measures, nothing can replace the human act of acting responsibly toward the environment. Children from a young age are taught in school that deforestation is been a major cause of landslides in the country. Yet, nothing ever seems to be done.

Deforestation not only causes erosion and landslides that disrupt people's lives, but also poses an even greater hazard as evident from the massive forest fires that occur each year.

Man has the right to exploit nature. He has been doing so since he first learned to walk erect, and will likely continue to do so for a long time to come.

He does not need to learn how to manage his use of nature as he already knows how to do this. What is absent is discipline in utilizing the natural environment in such a way as to not pose a danger to his own existence.

Without such an awareness, we may steel ourselves for more loss and tragedy.