Category: Uncategorized

For weeks now, angry and distressed residents in Indonesia’s westernmost province have been raising white flags over the state’s slow response to a series of deadly floods.

Triggered by a rare cyclone in November, the deluge killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the island of Sumatra. In Aceh, the worst-hit province which accounted for nearly half of the deaths, many still do not have ready access to clean water, food, electricity and medical supplies.

In a sign of just how frustrating managing the crisis has become, the governor of North Aceh broke down publicly earlier this month.

“Does the central government not know [what we’re experiencing]? I don’t understand,” a tearful Ismail A Jalil said in front of cameras.

But President Prabowo Subianto has refused foreign aid, insisting the situation is “under control”.

“Indonesia is capable of overcoming this disaster,” he told his cabinet last week. Prabowo has also ignored calls to declare it a national disaster, which would unlock emergency funds and streamline relief efforts.

Prabowo’s administration has increasingly been criticised as reactive, disorganised and out of touch – adjectives that some analysts say have come to define his presidency, which he won in February 2024 on the back of populist pledges.

Already this year, his flagship billion-dollar free school meals programme has been mired in controversy over mass food poisonings. In August and September, thousands of Indonesians took to the streets over unemployment and rising costs of living, in what were some of the biggest protests the country has seen in decades.

And now his government’s response to November’s floods has become yet another challenge for the leader, even as his approval ratings have held steady at about 78%.

Last Thursday, dozens of protesters rallied in Aceh’s capital, Banda Aceh, waving white flags and demanding that the central government opens the door to foreign aid.

Standing among the crowd was a little girl holding a sheet of paper, which read: “I am just three years old, I want to grow up in a safe and sustainable world.”

Though typically seen as a symbol for surrender, the white flags that have popped up across the province – on broken rooftops, along eroded riverbanks and outside mosques – are a call for international solidarity, protesters say.

“The flags do not mean we are giving in. They are a distress signal to grab the attention of friends outside, to let them know the conditions in Aceh today are very bad,” Husnul Khawatinnissa, who was at the rally, told the BBC.

Entire villages have been wiped out, while widespread damage to roads and infrastructure has also isolated many communities. Survivors have spoken of sickness and starvation.

“How long more do we have to wash ourselves in mud and floodwaters,” shouted Nurmi Ali, another demonstrator.

Provincial authorities have reached out to the United Nations for support, with the Aceh governor declaring that he welcomes help “from anyone, anywhere”.

Prabowo’s administration has said relief efforts are under way on a “national scale”, noting that it has disbursed some 60 trillion rupiah ($3.6bn) for reconstruction efforts.

For some in Aceh, the situation brings back painful memories of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters ever.

A magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake unleashed a tsunami that triggered waves up to 30m (100 feet) high which slammed into the Indian Ocean coastline that morning, killing an estimated 230,000 people in more than a dozen countries.

Aceh, already ravaged by decades of civil war, was among the hardest-hit. Locals say they had only recently finished rebuilding their lives when disaster struck again in November.

Relief arrived more quickly after the 2004 tsunami, even though it was far more devastating, they say.

Various countries, multilateral agencies like the World Bank, and private organisations poured billions of dollars into the recovery effort. The Indonesian government then set up a dedicated agency to manage funds and aid projects.

“Everyone took action and the community recovered quickly after the tsunami. What we’re suffering now is worse,” said Rindu Majalina, who was a high-school student when the tsunami struck.

The mother of three has been struggling to feed her children since the recent floods swallowed their home. Residents “fight like zombies” for every bit of supply delivered to her village “because we are starving”, she added.

Several countries have offered aid. The UAE, for instance, sent 30 tonnes of rice and 300 relief packages to Medan, another city hit by the floods – but it was all sent back by authorities following what they described as “guidance” from the central government.

The president’s refusal to accept international aid is his way of asserting authority, said Vidhyandika Djati Perkasa, a senior politics researcher at Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“Opening the door to foreign assistance means inviting foreign scrutiny, which they do not want… [Prabowo] doesn’t want to be seen as a failure and is trying to maintain his image,” Mr Perkasa said, noting however that this could backfire politically.

Prabowo has prioritised the “symbolic performance of sovereignty” over crisis management, said Vedi Hadiz, an Asian studies professor at the University of Melbourne.

Critics say the government has little understanding of the situation on the ground. Some also accuse Prabowo of being insensitive toward flood victims by promoting the expansion of palm oil plantations – environmental groups say the deforestation caused by that has also worsened the floods.

Rindu Majalina said she initially thought herself fortunate to have survived the floods, “but it turns out the post-disaster situation is even worse”.

“It has been very painful and miserable,” she said. “Everything has come to a complete standstill, from markets to schools to offices. My children don’t know if they’ll ever be able to go back to school.”

With reporting by Akramul Muslim, Rino Abonita and Nanda Fahriza Batubara in Aceh

India’s rapid solar energy expansion is widely hailed as a success. But without a plan to manage the waste it will generate, how clean is the transition?

In just over a decade, India has become the world’s third-largest solar producer, with renewables now central to its climate strategy. Solar panels are everywhere – from vast solar parks to blue rooftops across cities, towns and villages.

Alongside large solar parks, millions of rooftop systems now feed power into the electricity grid. Government data show nearly 2.4 million households have adopted solar under a subsidy scheme.

Solar growth has cut India’s reliance on coal. Though thermal and other non-renewables still supply over half of installed capacity, solar now contributes more than 20%. Yet the achievement carries a challenge: while clean in use, solar panels can pose environmental risks if not properly managed.

Solar panels are mostly recyclable, made of glass, aluminium, silver, and polymers – but trace toxic metals like lead and cadmium can pollute soil and water if mishandled.

Solar panels typically last about 25 years, after which they are removed and discarded. India currently has no dedicated budget for solar-waste recycling and only a few small facilities to process old panels.

India has no official data on solar waste, but a study estimated around 100,000 tonnes by 2023, rising to 600,000 tonnes by 2030. For now, the volume is small, but experts warn the bulk is yet to come – and without rapid recycling investment, India could face a growing waste crisis.

A new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) estimates that India could generate more than 11 million tonnes of solar waste by 2047. Managing this would require almost 300 dedicated recycling facilities and an investment of $478 (£362m) over the next two decades.

“Most of India’s large solar parks were built in the mid-2010s, so the real wave of waste is coming in 10 to 15 years,” says Rohit Pahwa of energy company Targray.

India’s solar-waste projections mirror global patterns: the US may generate 170,000–1 million tonnes and China nearly one million tonnes by 2030, following rapid solar expansion in the 2010s.

The policy landscape, however, differs significantly.

In the US, solar-panel recycling is mostly market-driven under a patchwork of state rules. China’s system, like India’s, is still developing and lacks a dedicated regulatory framework.

In 2022, India brought solar panels under e-waste rules, making manufacturers responsible for collecting, storing, dismantling and recycling them at end of life.

Experts say enforcement is uneven, especially for home and small-scale panels, which make up 5–10% of installations. Though modest, these panels can still generate substantial waste, as they are harder to track, collect, and recycle.

Damaged or discarded panels often end up in landfills or with unauthorised recyclers, where unsafe methods can release toxic materials. The BBC has contacted India’s renewable energy ministry for comment.

“Solar power gives an illusion of clean energy for two decades, but without a serious plan for recycling panels it risks leaving behind a graveyard of modules and not much of a legacy,” says environment expert Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka.

Despite the challenges, experts say the problem is not without opportunities.

“As waste rises, so will the demand for companies that know how to process it,” Mr Pahwa says.

Efficient recycling could reclaim 38% of materials for new panels by 2047 and prevent 37 million tonnes of carbon emissions from mining, says CEEW.

India already has markets for glass and aluminium, and metals found in solar cells – silicon, silver, and copper – can be recovered for new panels or other industries, says Akansha Tyagi, co-author of the study.

Currently, most solar waste is processed with basic methods that recover only low-value materials like glass and aluminium, while precious metals are lost, damaged or extracted in tiny amounts.

Experts say the next decade will be decisive for India’s solar goals. The country must act fast – building a regulated, self-sustaining recycling system, raising household awareness, and integrating waste collection into solar business models.

Companies that profit from solar power should also be responsible for what happens to panels once they stop working, says Mr Nakka.

“Without proper recycling, clean energy today could mean more waste tomorrow,” he warned.

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