NEWS: February 2026
Indonesia Sues Six Companies After Deadly Floods and Landslides in Sumatra
Indonesia has filed lawsuits against six companies operating in mining, energy, pulpwood, and plantation sectors, alleging their activities contributed to floods and landslides in Sumatra that killed more than a thousand people, according to government officials.
The lawsuits, filed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, seek billions of rupiah in damages and restoration costs following a series of extreme rainfall events linked to Cyclone Senyar. The disasters triggered widespread slope failures and flooding across multiple districts, overwhelming villages and transport corridors in one of the country’s most environmentally fragile regions.
Officials say the cases are intended to establish accountability for environmental degradation in upstream watersheds where forest cover has been reduced over time.
Much of northern Sumatra is characterised by steep terrain, high annual rainfall, and soils that rely on intact forest cover for stability. Scientists, including our team at ETHNOMAD, who have worked extensively throughout Indonesia, have long warned that deforestation in such landscapes increases the risk of landslides and flash floods by weakening slopes and accelerating runoff.
In recent decades, forested areas in parts of Sumatra have been fragmented by a combination of mining operations, hydropower access roads, and the expansion of industrial plantations. While individual projects were approved through separate environmental assessments, critics argue that cumulative impacts across entire watersheds were not adequately considered.
“When extreme rainfall occurs in a landscape that has already lost key stabilising systems, the likelihood of disaster increases sharply,” said Yanda Ju, a conservationist with the Padang Pariaman Tourist Authority, who has monitored the forest hydrology in West Sumatra for over a decade.
Government Action and Legal Claims
The lawsuits name companies involved in extractive and land-use industries operating upstream of affected communities. Government filings allege that deforestation and land modification contributed to slope instability and altered water flow, exacerbating the severity of the floods and landslides.
Company representatives have said they are reviewing the claims or have stated that their operations complied with existing permits and regulations. Some firms declined to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.
Indonesia has previously pursued environmental lawsuits, though enforcement has been inconsistent. Environmental law experts say the scale of the current cases, and their explicit link to loss of life, sets them apart.
Communities Downstream
Many of the hardest-hit areas were rural communities located downstream of forested uplands. Residents described sudden surges of water and debris that left little time to escape.
Local leaders and civil society organisations say communities have long raised concerns about land clearing and infrastructure development in sensitive watersheds, arguing that the risks were underestimated. “People living along these rivers understand how quickly conditions change when forests are removed,” said Yani Sikolah, of Camar Foundation, who works with affected villages.
The cases highlight growing recognition in Indonesia that forest loss is not only a biodiversity or climate issue but also a public safety concern. While reforestation and restoration are often proposed as remedies, scientists caution that rebuilding complex forest systems can take decades.
Legal proceedings are expected to continue through 2026. Whether the lawsuits result in significant damages or policy change remains uncertain, but observers say they could influence how future development is assessed in environmentally sensitive regions.
As extreme weather events intensify across Southeast Asia, Indonesia’s actions may serve as a test case for linking land-use decisions to disaster risk in court.
Forest Loss and Landscape Risk
