Disasters Without Accountability

Every rainy season, Indonesia seems to repeat the same ritual. Floods inundate homes, landslides isolate villages, and rivers overflow into areas that were once considered safe. Officials express condolences, emergency aid is distributed, and once again, the disasters are framed as unavoidable acts of nature. Yet behind this familiar cycle lies a question that remains largely unanswered: how natural are these disasters when human actions play such a significant role in causing them?

Heavy rainfall and climate change are often cited as the main culprits. While these factors cannot be denied, they only explain part of the problem. What is consistently overlooked is human accountability, particularly in relation to deforestation, weak environmental governance, and development policies that prioritize short-term economic interests over ecological sustainability. By labeling floods and landslides as purely “natural disasters,” responsibility is quietly shifted away from those whose decisions have reshaped the landscape.

Recent events in Sumatra provide a clear illustration of this pattern. Floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra affected millions of people and caused extensive damage. According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), more than 3.1 million people were impacted, with hundreds of deaths reported across the affected regions. The economic losses were equally severe. An analysis cited by The Jakarta Post estimated the total damage at approximately Rp 68.67 trillion, excluding long-term recovery costs. These numbers reflect not only the scale of the disaster, but also the depth of vulnerability faced by communities living in environmentally degraded areas.

Deforestation is a crucial part of this story. Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) reported that around 1.4 million hectares of forest were lost in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra between 2016 and 2025. In Aceh alone, deforestation rates increased sharply in recent years, with tens of thousands of hectares cleared, much of it in upstream areas that play a vital role in regulating water flow. When forests are removed, the land loses its ability to absorb rainfall, rivers fill with sediment, and flooding becomes not a possibility, but a certainty.

Similar patterns have been observed elsewhere. In South Kalimantan, devastating floods in 2021 were initially attributed to extreme rainfall. However, subsequent investigations revealed extensive forest loss caused by mining and plantation expansion. The disaster was not solely the result of rain, but of ecosystems weakened by years of unsustainable land use. Yet accountability remained limited, and policy responses focused more on emergency relief than structural reform.

The way disasters are framed has serious consequences. When floods and landslides are treated as unavoidable natural events, there is little incentive to question land-use permits, enforce environmental regulations, or hold corporations and officials accountable. Public attention shifts quickly from causes to coping, from prevention to resilience. Communities are praised for their endurance, while the systems that place them in danger remain intact.

Government responses tend to prioritize short-term relief efforts. Evacuations, food distribution, and temporary shelters are essential, but they do not address the root causes of recurring disasters. Environmental impact assessments are frequently weakened, enforcement against illegal logging remains inconsistent, and development projects continue to be approved in ecologically sensitive areas. Without accountability, disaster management becomes reactive rather than preventive.

This lack of accountability also reinforces inequality. Rural and indigenous communities, who contribute the least to environmental destruction, suffer the most from its consequences. Meanwhile, the benefits of deforestation—profits, land control, and political influence—are often concentrated among a small group of elites. By framing disasters as natural, this imbalance is normalized and rarely challenged.

Disasters should be understood not only as environmental events, but as social and political ones. They reveal how power, policy, and economic priorities shape vulnerability. Climate change may intensify rainfall, but human decisions determine whether that rainfall turns into catastrophe.

Indonesia does not lack regulations or environmental frameworks. What it lacks is consistent enforcement and the political will to place ecological protection above short-term gains. As long as deforestation continues unchecked and accountability is avoided, disasters will keep recurring with devastating consequences.

If we continue to blame nature while ignoring human responsibility, we risk normalizing destruction. True recovery must go beyond rebuilding homes and infrastructure. It must confront the policies and practices that put communities at risk in the first place. Until accountability becomes central to the conversation, disasters in Indonesia will continue to happen not because nature is cruel, but because responsibility is repeatedly denied.