Three people have reportedly been killed and another three seriously injured following a landslide at the village of Tambang Tinggi in the Sorolangun District of Jambi Province on Sumatra, on the evening of Thursday 26 February 2015. The three deceased have been named as Mariam, Desi and Tanto, while the injured have been named as Inam, Zainab and Raimah. The incident took place following sustained heavy rains in the area; landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.
The approximate location of the 26 February 2015 Tambang Tinggi landslide. Google Maps.
Jambi Province has a wet tropical climate, with 2000-300 mm of rain per year and a wet season that lasts from October to March, with peak rainfall in January. Landslides are a common problem, particularly as a rising population is leading both to increasing deforestation (which removes tree roots that can stabilize slopes) and more people settling on or close to slopes where they are vulnerable.
The Tambang Tingii landslide has been linked by the Jambi Provincial Police to illegal mining in the area. Unlicensed artisanal mining is common on Sumatra, where many areas have deposits of alluvial gold (gold which has been eroded out of rocks elsewhere and deposited by rivers in places where the river slows - often at higher concentrations than it would have been found at in the original ore-rocks). The practice has widely been linked to increased erosion, flooding and landslide events, partly because of the associated deforestation (removal of trees which help stabilize soil in order to get at underlying deposits) and also because many miners excavate into river banks, where the highest concentrations of gold are found, leading to weakened banks and often changing the course of rivers. Attempts by local authorities to clamp down on such activities are often hampered by a perception that restrictions favour foreign mining companies, which do not always have a good reputation for environmental management or their treatment of local people.
See also...
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Four people were killed in a landslide at Paris Beach on the shores of Lake Toba, near Nagori Tiga Ras in north Sumatra, at about 11.00 pm local time (about 4.00 pm...
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