Jakarta Post - Deforestation Main Driver Behind Recurring Aceh Floods

[hatrack]

Despite Rp 50 billion (US$4.17 million) allocated for disaster mitigation in Aceh this year, nearly the entire province remains at threat from natural and man-made disasters, especially flooding, a conservationist says. "The funds are still for emergency responses and relief and not for concrete measures to overcome and mitigate disasters to minimize impacts," said Muhammad Nur, database manager at the Aceh chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).

He said the province's disaster management was only geared toward responding to disasters rather than preventing them. "It's still restricted to providing relief aid, such as instant noodles, rice, medicine and even condoms, and not based on how to overcome the issue ahead of a disaster," Nur told The Jakarta Post recently. Aceh Walhi has pinned the blame for the protracted flooding in the province on climate change and deforestation, which sees Aceh lose around 20,000 hectares of forest each year.

Data at the Aceh provincial administration shows forest area in the province has shrunk each year since 1980, when there were almost 1.5 million hectares of forest. The number fell to 1.22 million hectares in 1990, before hitting 989,585 hectares in 2000.

The latest count shows the area stood at 877,401 hectares in 2006, 188,190 hectares of which was primary forest.

EDIT

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/12/05/deforestation-039main-cause039-recurring-floods-aceh.html

[pscot]

1. Who could have imagined

deforesting the hillsides would lead to flooding.