RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Following severe floods in West Sumatra during what should have been the dry season, Deputy Chair of Commission IV of the House of Representatives (DPR) Alex Indra Lukman urged the government to treat climate change as a fundamental threat to national development planning.

Speaking in Jakarta on Thursday, August 6, 2026, Alex warned that increasingly extreme rainfall patterns show Indonesia is entering a new era of disaster risk. “Development approaches based on seasonal calendars are no longer sufficient to protect communities,” he said, as quoted by Antara.

He stressed the need for anticipatory systems to safeguard the public and called for a review of policies that still rely on conventional weather assumptions, including infrastructure planning, spatial management, watershed governance, housing, agriculture, and public services.

Adaptation to climate change, Alex argued, must become a guiding principle in both national and regional development strategies, not just a sectoral policy.

Regarding the floods in Padang and other parts of West Sumatra, he urged local governments to ensure aid reaches all affected residents, particularly vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and other at‑risk communities.

“The faster the government anticipates shifting climate risks, the smaller the social, economic, and humanitarian impacts borne by society,” Alex emphasized.

Recent floods in Padang, triggered by intense rainfall on August 3, inundated 15 locations across the city. The disaster affected 1,488 households, forcing 1,377 people to evacuate, with significant damage reported as floodwaters swept away residents’ belongings. ***