Officials seek more than $200 million in damages after deadly disaster: 'Must be held fully responsible'

Last year, flooding in Indonesia turned deadly, killing more than 1,000 people and ravaging much of Sumatra. The severe damage can't all be attributed to nature; the effects of industrial development on the local landscape also played a part in the flooding. 

Now, the government hopes to hold the responsible businesses accountable for the damage with a lawsuit of almost $300 million, Al Jazeera reported.

What's happening?

Indonesia is suing six companies that participated in the deforestation of a 2,500-hectare area in the Sumatra region for a total of 4.8 trillion rupiah ($283.8 million). The amount will cover both recovery efforts and fines for the damage to the rainforest in the area.

"We firmly uphold the principle of polluter pays," environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said in a statement, per Al Jazeera, adding that a corporation that "profits by damaging the ecosystem must be held fully responsible for restoring it."

Why is a lawsuit over deforestation important?

Mining, fires, and plantations have led to deforestation across huge swaths of rainforest in Sumatra, including the 2,500 hectares of land in question. All this activity may make money for the businesses involved, while also enriching the people who work for them and the government via taxes, but it also removes the land's best defense against floods. 

Natural rainforests and other ecosystems like marshlands are good at soaking up water. Thick plant growth and meandering waterways slow down the floodwaters, giving the soil time to absorb them, while deep-rooted plants and trees help draw the water downward. Removing the plants and compacting the land leads to flat, non-absorbent areas that floodwaters race straight across, leading to deeper floods as well as more damage to the terrain.

It is likely that the flooding in Sumatra was more damaging because of the deforestation around the affected buildings. The same principle applies where natural wetlands have been lost, which is why wetland restoration, like this project to support waterfowl, is so important.

By holding businesses to account for the damage they cause, governments can send the message that profits should not take precedence over the environment or over human life.

What's being done about ongoing deforestation?

Indonesia is also taking this moment to review the permits that it has given businesses to operate in the area, revoking some.

The "pendulum between the economy and ecology seems to have swung too far towards the economy and needs to be pulled back to the center," forestry minister Raja Juli Antoni said, per Al Jazeera.

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