Residents queued for days to fill up with fuel at the Tapanuli disaster site.

TARUTUNG, KOMPAS – It has been a week since the flash flood and landslide disaster struck Tapanuli, North Sumatra, and the fuel oil crisis is still ongoing. In areas not affected by the disaster, vehicles are queuing for days to obtain non-subsidized fuel. There is absolutely no subsidized fuel available. The fuel crisis has also hindered the deployment of aid and personnel to the disaster sites.

The fuel crisis is occurring in Tarutung City, North Tapanuli, which has become the location for the National Post for handling natural disasters in Tapanuli. Fuel filling stations are guarded by police and military personnel. Vehicles have been queuing for days to obtain fuel supplies. Economic activities have also come to a standstill due to this fuel crisis.

Angkot driver, Aldo Pranata Simorangkir (20), has been queuing back and forth at the Tarutung gas station for four days. He returned to queue on Monday (1/12/2025) at 4:00 PM upon receiving news that a new supply of fuel had arrived. "The queue is about one kilometer long. Just when it was almost my turn, the fuel ran out," said Aldo, early Tuesday (2/12/2025).

The fuel crisis occurred following the flash floods and landslides that struck the Tapanuli region on Tuesday (25/11/2025), affecting North Tapanuli, Central Tapanuli, South Tapanuli, and the city of Sibolga. In Central Tapanuli and Sibolga, there is no longer any fuel supply as these areas cannot be accessed by land routes.

In North Tapanuli, non-subsidized fuel has started to arrive in the last three days. However, its supply is limited. Each time fuel arrives, riders immediately queue up. To reduce the length of the queue, motorcycle riders purchase fuel using jerrycans.

Rosmauli Sianturi (40) queued from 5:00 PM until past midnight. She stood holding a jerrycan for hours to obtain fuel for her motorcycle. She is struggling to go to the fields and cannot take her children to school.

In South Tapanuli, the fuel crisis is more severe. There has been no fuel supply in the area for several days. Some retail traders are selling fuel at exorbitant prices. Chairul Bhazar purchased Pertamax fuel for Rp 35,000 per liter from a retailer. "Although it is expensive, people are still scrambling to get fuel," said Chairul.

The Deputy Governor of North Sumatra, Surya, stated that he has held a coordination meeting with PT Pertamina to address the fuel crisis in the North Sumatra region. According to Surya, the fuel supply is sufficient. However, there are obstacles in distribution since natural disasters struck the northern part of Sumatra, including North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh.

"We have discussed with Pertamina and can assure that the fuel supply is sufficient. For gas stations located on critical routes, we request them to operate 24 hours during the emergency response so that the community continues to be served. We urge the public to purchase fuel according to their needs," said Surya.

The Area Manager for Communication, Relations, and CSR of Pertamina Patra Niaga Sumbagut, Fahrougi Andriani Sumampouw, stated that they are adding tank truck crews from various regions in Indonesia to assist in the distribution of fuel in the Sumbagut area.

"This reinforcement is aimed at accelerating the movement of tankers from the terminal to gas stations, LPG agents, and other distribution institutions, especially in areas where road access has just begun to recover. This step also helps expedite the normalization of operations at critical gas stations and affected regions," he said.

To anticipate distribution obstacles due to floods and landslides, Pertamina Patra Niaga Sumbagut has activated the RAE (Regular–Alternative–Emergency) scheme. During the period from November 24 to 27, 2025, supply transfers were carried out, including approximately 1,500 kiloliters (KL) for the Medan Group, 200 KL for Kisaran, 100 KL for Sibolga–Tapanuli, and 50 KL for central and northern Aceh.

"This scheme ensures supplies continue to flow even though some road access has not been fully restored," said Fahrougi.