Planetary Health Matters: Sumatra floods are a wake-up call for Malaysia

Nurlela Agusfitri, 40, lost her palm smallholding, several cows, and a small kiosk after floods hit Pengidam, Aceh Tamiang, northern Sumatra, three weeks ago. Huge rafts of logs and debris from cleared land rushed down river systems, blocking waterways and diverting floodwaters straight into villages. — AFP

AT the time of writing, more than 900 lives have been lost in the November 2025 floods in Sumatra, and many more people remain missing. Entire valleys have been reshaped by violent torrents of water and debris, and thousands of families have been left with nothing – no homes, no roads, no possessions.

As images and testimonies continue to emerge, my heart aches. I have walked these communities before. In 2005, after the Indian Ocean tsunami, I spent many months in Aceh. I remember the grief, the extraordinary resilience, and the brutal lesson that disasters always strike hardest at those with the least.