WALHI: Ecological disaster in North Sumatra leaves environmental damage and a livelihoods crisis

WALHI, the Indonesian Environment Forum, says environmental damage linked to corporate activity, especially by PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), has been a key factor intensifying the floods that struck Tapanuli in November. Through an intervention suit at the Medan District Court, WALHI is seeking for PT TPL to be held responsible for damage to the upstream Batang Toru and Sibundong river basins, which has wide repercussions for communities and ecosystems.

Rianda Purba, WALHI’s North Sumatra director, said the case concerns land in Parmonangan district, Tapanuli Utara, bordering Humbang Hasundutan. In the upstream Batang Toru basin, around 1,200 hectares of previously concessioned land are now left open and exposed after nearly a year. In the Sibundong upstream, around 1,600 hectares show a similar pattern. Rianda noted that the area is a critical water catchment that has long suffered from forest clearance for eucalyptus plantations.

“This upstream area forms the source of the Batang Toru River and the Sibundong basin. When the upstream is damaged, rainfall runoff becomes unregulated and triggers large floods downstream,” Rianda said at a Jakarta press conference on Friday (22 May). He explained that the ecological disaster in November affected several districts from Tarutung and Sipirok to Batang Toru and the river’s estuary, with the Batang Toru River and its tributaries severely damaged by the rapid runoff from degraded upstream areas.

“In the Batang Toru basin, the impact along the river was the most significant,” he added. In the Sibundong basin, floods affected Sorkam in Tapanuli Tengah. WALHI has received numerous reports of residents losing their homes and facing food shortages for one to two weeks after the disaster.

Beyond harm to settlements and community-managed areas, the disaster destroyed wildlife habitats in the Batang Toru landscape, home to the Tapanuli orangutan and the Sumatran tiger. “Wildlife corridors were damaged as the forest bore the brunt of uncontrollable runoff from the upstream,” he said.

WALHI argues that the government’s lawsuit filed by the Environment Ministry is not sufficient to restore the entire ecosystem damaged. Therefore, through the intervention suit, WALHI is demanding PT TPL undertake comprehensive restoration — not just forest restoration, but wildlife habitat restoration and ecological corridors.

The social and economic fallout remains visible six months after the disaster. WALHI National Executive Puspa Dewi said many residents are still displaced and have not yet received adequate recovery. “Six months after the ecological disaster, conditions have not yet recovered. Many impacts remain unaddressed,” she stated. BNPB data as of 22 May show more than 100,000 people still in shelters, with around 56,000 men and more than 61,000 women among the displaced.

Puspa noted that the disaster’s effects extend beyond environmental damage to obliterated the community’s livelihoods, including farmland and home gardens that families rely on. She highlighted that many women groups in North Sumatra have lost the community-held lands that underpin family economies. “Many areas of community-managed land are destroyed and remain unusable, directly affecting people’s livelihoods, especially women,” she said.

Puspa argued that women constitute one of the most vulnerable groups in disaster situations, facing psychological strain while needing to ensure food security and family safety amid limited aid.

Meanwhile, government assistance for survivors is deemed inadequate. People living in temporary housing reportedly receive around Rp15,000 per day in living assistance and about Rp600,000 per month in housing allowances. “That is not sufficient given current conditions, especially since environmental recovery has yet to occur,” she said.

WALHI also criticises the government’s slow response, which has allowed floods to recur after the November event. Puspa said the country would continue to incur substantial losses if enforcement against corporations causing environmental damage is not taken seriously. Losses from ecological disasters extend beyond infrastructure to social, economic and psychological harms suffered by communities. “If enforcement against the corporations responsible for ecological disasters is not pursued earnestly, the state will continue to experience losses,” she said.

WALHI is also urging the government to reassess forestry and mining permits, which they believe have ignored the precautionary principle. According to Puspa, the disaster stems from a stacking of exploitation permits issued without considering the environment’s carrying capacity. “This ecological disaster is the cumulative effect of permits issued without prioritising caution,” she said.

Through the suit, WALHI hopes the Medan District Court will compel PT TPL to bear full responsibility for environmental damage and to restore the ecosystem comprehensively. In addition to forest restoration, WALHI calls for the restoration of areas managed by local communities and for the protection of habitats.