No signs of slowing down

Sorry sight: A deforested hill is visible near an area affected by a flash flood in Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra, Indonesia. — AP

JAKARTA: Roads turned to murky brown rivers, homes were swept away by strong currents and bodies were pulled from mud during deadly flash floods and landslides after torrential rains hit West Sumatra in early March, marking one of the latest deadly natural disasters in the country.

Government officials blamed the floods on heavy rainfall, but environmental groups have cited the disaster as the latest example of deforestation and environmental degradation intensifying the effects of severe weather across Indonesia.