Deaths following floods in several countries in Southeast Asia exceeded 1,790 this Saturday (6). The critical areas of environmental disaster are the cities of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, where there are concerns about the supply of food and drinking water to the population.
In recent weeks, torrential rains and catastrophic flooding have hit Sri Lanka, southern Thailand, northern Malaysia and parts of Indonesia. On the island of Sumatra, which is part of Indonesian territory, there are 908 deaths — more than 400 people are missing in this tourist destination, according to the national disaster management agency.
The authorities are trying to prevent shortages and hunger from claiming more victims on the island. There are remote villages and access areas in the region where it is more difficult to provide assistance. “There are areas that remain inaccessible in the remote regions of Aceh,” warned Muzakir Manaf, governor of the province “completely destroyed, from north to south, from the roads to the sea”.
“Many people need basic necessities,” he told reporters, warning that “people are not dying from floods, but from hunger.”
Indonesian weather services are reporting more rain on Saturday in Aceh and Sumatra, where houses have been destroyed by water and landslides.
Aceh flood victim Fachrul Rozi said he spent the past week huddled in an old tent with other people who fled the waters. “We ate what we found, helping ourselves with the meager provisions that everyone had brought. We slept piled on top of each other,” he told AFP.
Munawar Liza Zainal, another Aceh resident, said she felt betrayed by the Indonesian government, which has so far not declared a state of national disaster, despite pressure from the public. “This is an extraordinary disaster that must be addressed with extraordinary measures,” he argued.
Sri Lanka, also devastated by the storms, requested international aid this week and confirmed a toll of 607 dead and 214 missing on the island, located in the south of India.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is considering the request of Sri Lanka, which is going through a serious economic crisis, for $200 million (1 billion reais) in addition to the $347 million (1.9 billion reais) it will receive this month.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called the emergency the most serious natural disaster the country has ever experienced. More than two million people, almost 10% of the population, were affected by floods and landslides.
The country’s Ministry of Finance announced on Friday (5) that it would distribute aid to survivors of up to ten million rupees (approximately R$173,000) to buy land in safe locations and rebuild houses. The government also intends to compensate with one million rupees (R$17,000) the families of those killed and those permanently weakened by the disaster.
Torrential rains occur at a less frequent time than expected in Southeast Asia. The monsoon season, during which weather events are expected, runs from May to October. This year, the season continues until the end of the year and converges with intense cyclonic activity. The phenomenon is part of the worsening climate crisis, which is modifying the seasonality of natural events.