Budget Cuts Under Scrutiny as North Sumatra Counts Cost of Deadly Floods

North Sumatra’s disaster management strategy has come under renewed scrutiny after a budget watchdog disclosed that Governor Bobby Nasution ordered a series of deep cuts to the province’s emergency funds just months before catastrophic floods and landslides struck 17 districts.

The Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) said the 2025 regional budget allocates just 0.8% of total spending for disaster response--far below what experts consider necessary for a province routinely hit by extreme weather.

“Far From Ideal”

Fitra analyst Elfenda Ananda told Tempo that a disaster-prone region such as North Sumatra should earmark 1.5–5% of its spending for emergencies. With the province planning to spend Rp 12.5 trillion (£630 million) next year, the Rp 98.3 billion emergency budget falls well short, he said.

“Risk assessment should be the backbone of budgeting. But it is often ignored,” Elfenda said. “With only 0.8%, the province was bound to struggle when floods and landslides hit late last month.”

Four Rounds of Cuts Under Bobby Nasution

Elfenda said the current shortfall was partly the result of four successive budget cuts made shortly after Bobby -- former President Joko Widodo’s son-in-law -- took office in February.

Before his inauguration, the acting governor, Agus Fatoni, had dramatically increased disaster funds from Rp 123.5 billion to Rp 843 billion, following two budget revisions in February 2025. But within weeks of taking office, Bobby reduced that figure to:

Rp 187 billion (March)
Rp 180 billion
Rp 106 billion (April)
Rp 98 billion, in the revised budget passed in September

The cumulative reduction amounts to an 88% plunge from the level considered necessary earlier this year.

“Not long after that, disaster struck North Sumatra,” Elfenda said.

A Disaster Bill Nearing Rp 10 Trillion

The governor has since estimated losses from the floods at Rp 9.98 trillion, including extensive damage to public infrastructure:

23 national roads, 3 national bridges, 25 provincial roads, 5 provincial bridges, and thousands of hectares of farmland. Tens of thousands of homes and hundreds of schools and health facilities were also affected.

“We are working to accelerate emergency response,” Bobby said during a virtual briefing with President Prabowo on Monday.

Political Will Questioned

Mangapul Purba, head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction in the provincial parliament, said the government could revise the budget again to strengthen disaster response -- but that such a move requires “political will.”

“People need help, and infrastructure must be restored,” he said. He urged President Prabowo to declare a national emergency, warning that the humanitarian fallout could worsen.

“Without immediate intervention from the central government, casualties may continue to rise. Hunger, disease, and psychological trauma threaten the people of North Sumatra,” he said. “The province is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.”

A Broader Pattern?

The revelations add pressure on the provincial government at a time when environmental groups and civil society organisations are questioning both local and national preparedness in the face of intensifying climate-related disasters.

While Bobby Nasution has defended his administration’s response, the budget cuts are likely to fuel debate over whether North Sumatra’s disaster preparedness has been undermined by policy choices, rather than merely overwhelmed by nature.