West Sumatra Plants 1,000 Trees to Kickstart Post‑flood Environmental Recovery

RRI.CO.ID, Padang - The West Sumatra Provincial Administration has planted 1,000 tree seedlings in Malvinas City Forest, Padang, West Sumatra as a visible first step in restoring landscapes damaged by the devastating flash floods and landslides that struck at the end of November 2025. Officials framed the tree-planting during World Environment Day as urgent climate and watershed repair rather than a symbolic gesture.

“Environmental recovery can no longer be delayed after the floods and landslides left extensive damage across West Sumatra,” West Sumatra Governor, Mahyeldi, said in Padang on Friday, 12 June 2026.

As reported by Antara, the activity is part of a broader rehabilitation effort to stabilize the area and revive its ecological functions. The governor, a former mayor of Padang, warned that protecting the environment is far cheaper and more sustainable than bearing the high costs of recovery.

“We must act now to control the climate because this concerns human survival itself,” he said, urging joint action that involves younger generations to build lasting environmental stewardship.

Officials singled out the Batang Kuranji River, which has suffered significant sedimentation since the late‑2025 floods and landslides. Sediment build‑up has shallow the riverbed, raising the risk of renewed, more widespread flooding during heavy rains.

“If sedimentation is not handled immediately, when rainfall is high the water will no longer be contained and the risk of widespread flooding will return,” warned the governor.

West Sumatra’s Environment Agency Head, Tasliatul Fuaddi, said the 1,000 seedlings form part of a revitalization program for the Batang Kuranji riverbanks, where hundreds of trees died during the inundation. The planting involved about 250 participants from provincial, regency and city agencies, state-owned enterprises, community groups, civil society organizations, and local tourism awareness groups (Pokdarwis).

Chairperson of Padang’s Pokdarwis (Tourism Awareness Group), Renaldo Saputra Leo, expressed hope the event will mark the start of a long-term collaborative restoration of river corridors.

“We want Malvinas City Forest to develop into a Green Forest City that provides ecological and economic benefits to the community,” he said.

In marking World Environment Day 2026, Governor Mahyeldi also cited the scale of the disaster’s economic toll with the total losses and damages from the November floods and landslides in West Sumatra are estimated at around IDR 33 trillion (approximately USD 1.85 billion). Given that magnitude, he reiterated the necessity of sustained environmental protection and watershed management to reduce future disaster risk.

Current recovery steps combine immediate rehabilitation, river dredging and longer-term efforts to enhance natural resilience across affected watersheds. Local leaders and agencies say continued collaboration, investment in river maintenance, and community involvement will be critical to prevent repeat catastrophes. ***