Indonesia expects flood-hit Sumatra to recover in months
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto says daily life in flood-ravaged parts of Sumatra could return to normal within two to three months, following one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country’s recent history.
Cyclone-triggered floods and landslides that struck Sumatra in late November have killed at least 1,030 people, with 206 still missing, according to official data. Thousands were displaced as homes, roads and public facilities were destroyed across several provinces, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Monday, Prabowo confirmed that reconstruction efforts are already underway in three affected provinces. He acknowledged public frustration over the pace of recovery, saying the scale of destruction made a rapid turnaround impossible.
“We cannot finish this in three to five days. Perhaps in two to three months, activities will return to normal,” he said.
Authorities plan to build hundreds of temporary homes for displaced families, while the total cost of reconstruction is expected to reach at least $3.1 billion, senior officials have said.
The same storm system also caused widespread devastation in southern Thailand and Malaysia, killing around 200 people.
Environmental groups argue that deforestation linked to mining and logging worsened the flooding. In response, Indonesia’s environment ministry has temporarily suspended operations at companies accused of violations and ordered environmental audits.
Prabowo warned that any firm found to have breached environmental rules would lose its permit. Earlier, Indonesia’s forest minister announced the revocation of 22 forest-use permits covering more than one million hectares nationwide, including over 100,000 hectares on Sumatra.
Despite the scale of the disaster, Prabowo said the situation is now under control and that Indonesia can manage recovery efforts without foreign assistance, though several countries have offered aid.
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