Jakarta. The government has sealed seven forestry-related facilities in North Sumatra as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal logging and forest encroachment following catastrophic floods and landslides that killed hundreds across Sumatra.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Monday the closures represent a firm commitment to fulfill his pledge to parliament to pursue forest destroyers without compromise.

“This sealing action will continue against those who destroy our forests,” Raja Juli said. “Whether corporations or other concession holders, if they are proven to have damaged Indonesia’s forests, we will take action. There will be no compromise.”

The ministry’s investigation focused on the Batang Toru watershed in South Tapanuli, one of the areas worst hit by the disaster. Logs and timber debris swept away by flash floods prompted suspicion that deforestation intensified the scale of destruction.

Raja Juli said five more timber processing sites remain under investigation. “If they are proven to have violated the law, we will not hesitate to seal them immediately,” he added.

Disaster Linked to Severe Forest Loss
Flash floods and landslides since November 25 have torn through communities in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, destroying bridges, homes, and public infrastructure. Heavy debris and logs carried by the floods flattened entire neighborhoods and blocked rivers along the Batang Toru watershed.

As of Monday afternoon, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported 950 confirmed deaths, 274 missing, and 156,500 homes damaged across the three provinces.

Environmental climatologist Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho of Gadjah Mada University said the disaster’s scale cannot be explained by rain alone. Years of extensive deforestation, he said, have critically weakened watershed resilience.

“Once the forest disappears, the soil’s ability to absorb water drops drastically. Even a short episode of extreme rain can cause severe river overflows,” Bayu said.

He noted that flash floods in Sumatra often carry logs and large debris — a sign of damaged forests. Such flooding patterns are rarely observed in Thailand, Vietnam, or the Philippines, he added.

“The level of deforestation in those countries is nowhere near as severe as in Indonesia. Our upper-watershed damage is much worse,” Bayu said.

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