Land Conversion Triggers Flash Floods in Puncak, Dedi Mulyadi Promises to Meet PTPN and Perhutani

BANDUNG, KOMPAS—The conversion of land in the Puncak area, Bogor Regency, is currently under the attention of the West Java Provincial Government. This phenomenon is suspected to have the potential to trigger disasters, including flash floods. Most recently, the disaster affected hundreds of people in Cisarua District, Bogor Regency.

"Based on the data we have, more than a thousand hectares of tea plantation land in Puncak have been converted to other uses. This is a serious concern as it has the potential to worsen environmental conditions," said West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi in Bandung, Monday (3/3/2025).

Previously, on Sunday (2/3/2025), a flash flood occurred in the Puncak area. At around 8:30 PM Western Indonesia Time, the Ciliwung River overflowed, affecting 423 residents in Kampung Pensiunan, Tugu Selatan Village, Cisarua District.

Going forward, Dedy emphasized that land-use conversion in Puncak must be immediately stopped. The goal is to maintain ecosystem balance and prevent further disasters. To that end, he will coordinate with the relevant PT Perkebunan Nusantara and Perhutani Jabar to restore the conservation function of the altered land.

"We must not only think about short-term economic gains. Since the colonial era, the Dutch planted tea in this area not only for production but also as part of efforts to conserve the environment and protect the land," said Dedi.

Based on data collected by the Kompas Investigation Team in 2021, the massive land conversion in the upstream Ciliwung River Basin has caused almost the entire Puncak area to be in critical condition.

Based on the mapping by the Citarum Ciliwung Watershed Management and Protected Forest Agency in 2018, severely critical land has covered nearly half of the Puncak area, encompassing the districts of Cisarua and Megamendung, with a total area of 4,600 hectares.

This condition has triggered various natural disasters, ranging from floods and flash floods to landslides. A hydrology expert from IPB University, Hidayat Pawitan, revealed that the massive land-use conversion has significantly reduced the soil's water absorption capacity in the upstream area of the Ciliwung River.

According to him, until 2000, the surface water runoff coefficient in Puncak was already 90 percent. This means that 90 percent of rainwater is not absorbed into the ground and overflows into the river. (Kompas, February 5, 2021).

Regarding the handling of flash floods in Bogor, Head of Emergency and Logistics at the Bogor Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency, Adam Hamdani, said that the disaster was also triggered by heavy rain with high intensity.

Floods were recorded to have hit 10 villages and 8 sub-districts. One person was reported missing.

In addition to Cisarua, floods also occurred in eight sub-districts and 13 other villages in Bogor Regency. Floods were recorded in Cijeruk, Sukaraja, Megamendung, Sukamakmur, Ciawi, Sukajaya, Leuwisadeng, and Babakan Madang Sub-districts.