South Halmahera, WartaGlobal.Id – The massive flooding that struck Yaba Village in North West Bacan District is no longer viewed as a mere natural disaster. Chairman of the South Halmahera Branch of the Marhaenis Youth Movement (DPC GPM), Harmain Rusli, asserted that the catastrophe is the cumulative result of long-standing environmental degradation caused by weak performance of the Bacan Forest Management Unit (KPH), North Maluku Representative.
Harmain emphasized that rainfall served only as a trigger, while the root cause lies in the destruction of forest areas that should function as water catchment and absorption zones. Weak oversight by the KPH over forest governance is said to have opened space for uncontrolled environmental degradation, the impacts of which are now directly felt by downstream communities.
According to him, within Indonesia’s national forestry system, KPH is not merely an administrative body, but a strategic operational unit at the field level. KPH is mandated to formulate forest management plans, control forest utilization, supervise permit holders, and carry out forest and land rehabilitation. When these functions fail to operate effectively, ecological disasters become inevitable.
Harmain highlighted the declining quality of forest cover in North West Bacan. This damage has disrupted the hydrological system, sharply increased surface runoff during rainfall, and ultimately triggered flooding in residential areas. He described the situation as a clear failure of forest governance with direct consequences for public safety.
From a regulatory standpoint, forest management is governed by Government Regulation No. 23 of 2021 on Forestry Administration, which affirms KPH’s role as the manager of sustainable forest resources. These provisions are reinforced by amendments to Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 8 of 2021 through Regulation No. 23 of 2025, as well as Minister of Forestry Regulation No. 3 of 2025 concerning forestry technical institutions. However, Harmain argued that the strength of these regulations has not been reflected in on-the-ground implementation.
He urged both the provincial and central governments to immediately conduct a comprehensive audit of KPH Bacan’s performance, including an evaluation of its ecological oversight and control of forest utilization. In addition, the North Maluku Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and local governments were called upon to promptly map the extent of environmental damage and carry out measured rehabilitation of critical areas.
Without firm and corrective action, similar floods are certain to recur, leaving communities as victims of forest management policies that have failed to safeguard ecological functions.
“If weak oversight by the KPH continues to be tolerated, then the next flood will not be a disaster, but the result of policy negligence,” Harmain Rusli stressed.
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