Two uninhabited islands in Indonesia’s South Sumatra vanish amid rising sea levels

YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Two small uninhabited islands in Indonesia’s South Sumatra have disappeared as a result of rising sea levels driven by climate change, according to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment.

The province’s Betet Island and Gundul Island are currently sitting 1 meter and 3 meters below sea level.

“These islands were uninhabited. One of the islands, Betet, is a part of Berbak-Sembilang National Park,” Jakarta Post quoted Indonesian Forum for the Environment South Sumatra executive director Hairul Sobri as saying.

In the event of no appropriate measures to tackle the rising sea levels, four other islands may soon also disappear.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan