Flash floods, hot weather trigger clean water crisis in Padang

2026-01-29 - 23:35

Hole in a hill: A worker operates heavy equipment on Dec. 30, 2025, at a sand and gravel mining site in Gunung Sarik area in Padang, West Sumatra. Environmental group Walhi West Sumatra has called for a permanent halt to all sand and gravel mining activities in the area, saying they are a major contributor to damage to the Kuranji River, and increase the risk of ecological disasters, including flash floods downstream.