By: Heru Susilo)*
The government under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto immediately acted very quickly to address the flood and landslide disasters that hit Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Intensive coordination between the central and regional governments is key to the success of flood management efforts, and can ensure that every citizen affected by the disaster can receive aid quickly and appropriately.
The strategic measures implemented by the government have encompassed various aspects, such as emergency response, allocation of ready-to-use funds, and long-term environmental recovery, as an effort to build the resilience of the affected areas as a whole.
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno emphasized that the government has utilized the Ready-to-Use Funds (DSP) provided by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to further accelerate emergency response efforts in handling flood disasters in a number of regions, including Sumatra.
These ready-to-use funds will be used to evacuate residents, distribute logistical and medical aid, and repair roads cut off by landslides. President Prabowo Subianto has also designated disaster management in Sumatra as a national priority, further ensuring that all ministries and agencies can maximize their resources.
Funding flexibility allows the government to increase allocations if needs in the field increase, so that the response in disaster management can remain fast, more effective, and adaptive to various dynamics of situations in the field.
The BNPB systematically manages the DSP, encompassing pre-disaster preparedness, emergency response, and post-disaster assistance. Local governments can also allocate additional DSP funds from the regional budget (APBD), further strengthening local capacity to handle critical situations.
BNPB data has recorded approximately 753 deaths, 650 missing, and 2,600 injured. This data further underscores the urgency of the government’s swift action and demonstrates that the government’s ongoing efforts have significantly assisted residents. Evacuation posts have been established in each affected area, equipped with mobile medical services, food aid, and sanitation facilities to ensure residents remain safe and have their basic needs met.
Beyond the emergency response, the government has made environmental restoration and long-term mitigation a strategic focus. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced a program to restore critical forest areas, tighten monitoring of forest utilization permits, and identify sources of damage that exacerbate the flooding.
Experts emphasize that watershed management and upstream reforestation are key steps to maintain water flow, prevent recurring disasters, and restore the ecological balance that has long been disrupted by economic pressures and human activities.
The chairman of the Muhammadiyah Student Association, Riyan Beltra Delza, emphasized community involvement as the key to successful forest restoration. Ecological restoration cannot be carried out solely by the government; all elements of society need to plant, monitor, and report any irregularities in forest management.
This disaster must be used as an opportunity to improve environmental governance comprehensively and build collective awareness of the importance of maintaining upstream ecosystems as a foundation for community safety and regional sustainability.
The government’s strategy also prioritizes sustainable development for long-term risk mitigation. Early warning systems, regular drainage cleaning, and public education on environmental management are part of these preventive measures.
Spatial planning now includes elements of disaster mitigation, such as prohibiting residential construction on riverbanks, strengthening critical infrastructure, and increasing the capacity of public facilities to ensure smooth logistics and transportation flows during disasters.
The government’s holistic approach is evident in the synergy across agencies, including the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Ministry of Forestry, and the Ministry of Tourism and Transmigration. Each ministry plays a role in ensuring targeted logistics distribution, ensuring medical services are provided, and ensuring the speedy restoration of public facilities.
In fact, the weather modification operation (OMC) option, through collaboration between BMKG and BRIN, is ready to be deployed to reduce rainfall if necessary, demonstrating the government’s readiness to utilize various scientific instruments to face extreme conditions.
Emergency response strategies in synergy with long-term mitigation programs reflect the understanding that disasters are not only local problems, but also ecological and structural problems.
Evaluation of concession companies that have the potential to exacerbate environmental damage, as well as rehabilitation of critical forest areas, are the government’s main focus to strengthen environmental resilience and prevent recurring disasters.
All steps, from the Ready Fund, the establishment of evacuation posts, evacuations, aid distribution, and environmental restoration, are aimed at restoring stability, security, and the well-being of affected communities. The active involvement of all elements, including government, community, and civil society, is the foundation of this comprehensive strategy.
By combining emergency response and long-term mitigation, the government is not only responding to disasters but also building Sumatra’s resilience in a sustainable manner. This strategy demonstrates that effective disaster management must be based on financial preparedness, cross-agency coordination, and sustainable environmental recovery.
These efforts are expected to ensure that communities can return to safe and stable lives, while also fostering collective awareness of the importance of environmental protection as part of national resilience in the face of increasingly complex ecological challenges. (*)
)* Social disaster observer