IF GEOGRAPHY is destiny, then parts of Sumatra are currently witnessing their destiny being washed away. On February 18, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian delivered a sobering briefing to Parliament: 29 villages have effectively vanished from the map following a series of catastrophic floods and landslides. Of these, 21 were located in Aceh—specifically in the rugged terrains of Aceh Tamiang, Nagan Raya, and Gayo Lues.
This is more than a humanitarian tragedy; it is an administrative nightmare. In Indonesia’s highly decentralised “Strategic Trader” model, a village is not just a collection of homes; it is a fiscal unit entitled to “Dana Desa” (Village Funds). When a village vanishes physically, Jakarta faces a complex legal question: how to delete an administrative entity that still exists on the ledger, and where to settle the “displaced citizens” without triggering land disputes elsewhere.
The Climate Ledger
The disappearance of these villages underscores the escalating cost of climate change in the archipelago. As the state siphons off funds for populist programs like “Free Nutritious Meals,” the budget for disaster mitigation and climate-resilient infrastructure is increasingly stretched. Minister Tito’s call for “strategic steps” is a polite way of saying that the government must now find the funds to build entire communities from scratch while managing the ecological fallout of years of deforestation in northern Sumatra.
Further reading: The Washington Gambit: Jakarta’s Pragmatism on Eroding Ground
