Sumatra Flood Survivors Take Government to Court Over Delayed Recovery and Forest Policy
JAKARTA: Survivors of the devastating 2025 floods in Indonesia’s Sumatra have filed a legal case against the government, accusing authorities of failing to properly manage post-disaster recovery and demanding stronger environmental protections.
The lawsuit, submitted to the state administrative court on Thursday (May 7), calls for the government to declare a national disaster status for Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra—three of the hardest-hit provinces.
According to court records published on its official website, seven residents from the affected regions are seeking urgent intervention from the central government, arguing that reconstruction efforts have been severely delayed due to limited provincial funding.
One of the petitioners, Diki Rafiqi, said the current recovery process has stalled, leaving many survivors without even temporary housing. He urged the government to step in and fully finance rebuilding efforts through the national budget.
“Many residents still do not have temporary shelters. This is the most basic need, and local governments simply do not have the financial capacity,” Diki said.
If national disaster status is approved, Indonesia’s central government would be responsible for funding large-scale reconstruction, including temporary shelters and permanent housing for displaced families.
The petition also demands a suspension of new permits for forestry, mining, and plantation activities across the affected provinces until environmental restoration is completed. It further calls for a full review of existing land-use approvals.
Environmental activists have long warned that deforestation in Sumatra worsened the severity of the floods and landslides, which killed at least 1,200 people and destroyed around 300,000 homes during the 2025 disaster.
The case adds pressure on authorities as communities continue to struggle with recovery nearly a year after one of the region’s deadliest climate-related disasters.