A boy plays on a hill as the chimneys of Suralaya coal power plant loom in the background, in Cilegon, Indonesia, in 2023. AP
Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.
In South Sumatra's Muara Maung village, coal mining has become an inescapable part of daily life, with expanding operations choking the community's air, land and water, leaving residents to grapple with worsening environmental degradation.
For 47-year-old Sumhayana, the impacts are impossible to escape. Since several coal mines began operating near the village, flooding has become a recurring reality.
This year alone, her home has been flooded three times. The latest deluge, in late April, inundated her neighborhood, swept away crops in her farmland, and left her house coated in 10-centimeter-thick mud.
