In late November 2025, Cyclone Senyar struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggering severe flooding and landslides that displaced half a million families.
Residents in the affected regions argue that decades of deforestation and industrial activity linked to the pulp, palm oil and mining sectors intensified the destruction by stripping hillsides of trees, draining natural buffers and disrupting river paths, leaving rainwater with nowhere to go. When Cyclone Senyar arrived, the land was less able to absorb heavy rainfall, rivers overflowed more quickly and slopes gave way more easily, exposing communities to flooding and landslides that might otherwise have been less severe.
Source link