JAKARTA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia is investigating companies suspected of clearing forests around flood-hit areas in Sumatra, its forestry minister said on Thursday, acknowledging poor forest management worsened the disaster.
The death toll from cyclone-driven floods and landslides rose to 836, with hundreds still missing across West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh, government data showed. Landslides have cut power and blocked roads, hampering rescue efforts.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni told parliament the government will review forest governance, consider a moratorium on new permits and revoke the licences of violators. He did not identify specific companies.
Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia also signaled mining permits could be scrapped if rules were breached.
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS BLAME DEFORESTATION FOR SCALE
Green groups blame deforestation linked to mining and logging for amplifying the damage, pointing to images of logs washed ashore that sparked public outrage.
Sumatra has lost 4.4 million hectares of forest since 2001, said David Gaveau, founder of deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas.
Among permit holders is PT Agincourt Resources, which operates the Martabe gold mine. The company told Reuters it supports the ministry's review and is committed to compliance.
"We are ready to provide the necessary data and information and fully support every oversight step in accordance with regulations," a company spokesperson said.
Indonesia Palm Oil Association chairman Eddy Martono told Reuters that he had not received any information that any GAPKI member had been questioned by the authorities.
ISOLATED AREAS STILL CUT OFF
On late Thursday, rescuers said some isolated areas had been reached, such as Aceh Tamiang, but access to the Central Aceh and Bener Meriah districts remains blocked.
"We will continue to expedite opening up land access so that there are no more areas in Aceh that are isolated from land routes," disaster management agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari told reporters, adding that aid would be airlifted in hard-to-reach areas.
In Aceh Tamiang in Aceh province, the stench of decay hung in the air as residents warned rescuers that many bodies may still be buried under mud and debris, provincial spokesperson Muhammad MTA said.
Authorities are racing to restore electricity and deliver fuel and cooking gas across the three hardest-hit provinces, aiming to stabilize supplies by the weekend, the energy minister said.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto, Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina, Gayatri Suroyo and Stefanno Sulaiman, Editing by Louise Heavens)
