Risk Factors of Landslide in Sibolga and the Disaster Warning

Extreme disasters hit Sumatra Island towards the end of 2025. From Monday, November 24^th, to Tuesday, November 25^th, four regions in North Sumatra were hit by extreme weather. Some of them were hit by landslides. The landslide in Sibolga attracted attention due to its significant impact. The disaster was also triggered by human activities that damaged the environment.

Risk Factors of Landslide in Sibolga

A tropical climate in Indonesia makes it becomes more dangerous area for climate disasters. It is because tropical climates have more extreme temperatures, which include hot temperatures during the dry season and cold temperatures during the rainy season. The more serious thing is that the level of humidity also significantly changes between the two seasons.

The landslide that occurred in Sibolga Regency, North Sumatra, includes the cases of a climate disaster. Sibolga and four other regencies were hit by heavy rain. Specifically, it lasted for more than two days.

The heavy rain occurred for some reason. There were massive convective clouds along the Barisan Mountains in Sumatra. They were formed by Cyclone 95B. Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone KOTO triggered the growth of rain clouds in the western region, including North Sumatra.

The heavy rain and strong winds are two factors of increasing water level, so the soil structure became saturated. The Sibolga region was actually hit by a landslide because of its naturally high-risk area, which consists of coastal areas, mountains, and hillsides.

Indeed, landslides occur due to a lack of water catchment areas. Most of the forests have been cleared and converted to oil palm plantations. Trees that have its function to protect against landslides are now gone.

Their strong roots, which function to bind the soil and absorb rainwater, have been significantly reduced. The soil structure that is saturated with so much water automatically collapses and causes loss of life, material losses, and psychological effects.

Nature Exploitation Issue

Among the various risk factors of the landslide in Sibolga, the most concerning trigger is deforestation. It has already consumed tens of thousands of hectares of land in Sumatra for any purposes, such as land converted for palm oil plantations, timber plantations, and mining. Finally, carbon emissions and climate change occur because of deforestation as a great contributor.

Reports have shown that tree trunks are floating in floodwaters. It is demonstrating that extensive logging is being carried out for specific purposes, without reforestation.

Previously, trees functioned effectively as natural protectors. But now, they are increasingly being eroded. It all makes the situation worse when extreme weather occurs. Like in Sibolga, there are landslides because of heavy rain and the lack of adequate trees to support the soil structure.

That is particularly dangerous for the Sumatra areas, including Sibolga, which consists of mountains and hillsides. The potential for landslides becomes higher.

Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS)

The real action is needed to evacuate victims in Sibolga. A declaration of a national disaster is also an emergency to mobilize all state resources for response. Furthermore, an early warning is the first step that can be given before a disaster occurs.

The availability of a Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) in Sibolga, North Sumatra, must be ensured. LEWS is crucial for detecting factors that trigger landslides. If the system detects a potential landslide, the warning signal will be given to the communities near landslide-prone areas. More than that, monitoring will continuously be given until the situation is safe.

The high number of casualties and material losses is clear evidence of the severity of the landslide risk. The risks of the landslide in Sibolga can be immediately solved by the government and relevant agencies. They can improve their early warning system. Besides alarms and sirens, more comprehensive warning signals are needed through emergency messages.

Emergency messages can now be sent through SMS (Short Message Service), without relying on internet signals that can be disrupted. This also greatly benefits those without smartphones. This can be achieved through the provision of a message-sending machine based on SMS that is available at smsbroadcaster.com. Its coverage area extends up to 2 km for all operators.