Floods and Landslides Hit West Java, New Regional Heads Asked to Be More Alert

Several natural disasters have occurred in various regions of West Java, at least in the past week. Floods and flash floods have claimed lives, while landslides and ground subsidence have triggered evacuations. Regional leaders, although newly inaugurated, are being urged to respond more swiftly to these disaster events.

Flooding occurred in Bandung Regency, Bogor Regency, and Bekasi Regency. In addition to critical environmental conditions, heavy rainfall triggered river overflows.

In Bandung Regency, the Citarum River overflowed again into residential areas in Dayeuhkolot District and Bojongsoang District, Tuesday (25/2/2025).

Although it only lasted a day, the flood submerged 1659 houses inhabited by 7298 people. As many as 233 of them were displaced again.

Like Bandung Regency, which is located in a highland area, Bogor Regency is also still prone to flooding. High rainfall increases the risk of disasters in the region, which has many tourist attractions.

On Thursday (27/2/2025), at least 1,700 residents in Cileungsi and Citeureup Districts were affected by flooding. They live in 487 houses.

Three days later or Sunday (2/3/2025), disaster struck the Puncak area. As many as 346 people in Cisarua District struggled to deal with flash floods.

The overflow of the Cisarua River even claimed lives. Asep Maulana (59), a local resident, was swept away by the water. On Monday (3/3/2025) morning, his body was found at the Ciawi Dam.

From data collected by the Bogor Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Asep was swept away by the flood after successfully saving his wife. Ironically, Asep failed to save himself.

A day later, Tuesday (4/3/2025), it was Bekasi City's turn to be hit by flooding from the Bekasi River. Water with a height of 70 centimeters to 3 meters submerged 20 points, including East Bekasi, South Bekasi, Pondok Gede, and Rawa Lumbu.

In addition to flooding, landslides hit residents of Cikondang, Cineam District, Tasikmalaya Regency. On Tuesday (25/2), 497 residents were recorded as affected. As many as 241 of them had to evacuate to relatives' homes and the Cikondang Village hall.

This was caused by the damage of 90 houses due to cracks and land subsidence as deep as 1-3 m. This condition also cut off road access from Cineam to Cijulang District in Pangandaran.

The latest incident was the collapse of the Loji Bridge in Karawang, Monday (3/3). This bridge connects Bogor and Karawang. This condition was caused by the bridge structure that could not withstand the overflow of the Cicangor River.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said post-disaster handling has been carried out. Coordination between the National Disaster Management Agency, West Java BPBD with city/district BPBD has been carried out. The form is like handling at the disaster location to logistical assistance.

In the future, he hopes that mitigation will remain a priority. In Tasikmalaya, for example, in addition to the relocation plan, Dedi proposed changing the design of community housing from brick houses to stilt houses. This is as implemented in traditional villages, including in Tasikmalaya.

Stilt houses with proper construction can be more adaptive to unstable soil conditions. Stilt houses are also projected to be built for residents affected by the Karangligar flood in Karawang.

Mitigation is also expected to occur in the Puncak area. Dedi suspects that one of the causes of the flash flood disaster in Puncak is due to land conversion.

In fact, the Puncak area should be used for tea plantations and forestry, so that it has good water absorption capacity and does not trigger disasters.

"If the area reduces water absorption capacity and causes disasters, we will evaluate. Which is more important, the safety of residents or just the pleasure of a few people? The safety of residents is more important than anything," he said.

Therefore, he will soon conduct an inspection to Puncak with the Minister of Environment. The results of the visit, said Dedi, will be a provision for making important decisions next.

One of the steps he intends to take is to evaluate the performance of the West Java Regional-Owned Enterprise (BUMD) which manages one of the tourist attractions in the Puncak area.

"There is Jaswita (West Java BUMD), which is building recreational facilities at the peak. From the statement of the Bogor Regent, one of the domes fell into the river, blocking it and triggering a flood. That is based on what the Bogor Regent said on the phone with me. This is what must be fixed immediately," said Dedi.

Meanwhile, regarding the collapse of the Loji Bridge, he said that the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (DBPMR) would install an emergency bridge (bailey) to ensure that public access remains connected.

Furthermore, Dedi ensured that the reconstruction of Loji Bridge will be carried out this year so that this problem is resolved permanently. Furthermore, Loji Bridge will be built this year.

In the future, Dedi asked DBPMR to record all bridges in West Java that have exceeded their construction age. "This is an important step so that we can prevent similar incidents in the future. Don't let old bridges suddenly collapse and endanger the community," he said.

Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency Dwikorita Karnawati emphasized that the role of local governments in disaster mitigation is very crucial. That, especially in ensuring every early warning is followed up with anticipatory steps in the field.

Dwikorita said that early warning is not just information, but also a call for real action. Speed and readiness in responding to early warnings of extreme weather are very important in determining risk mitigation efforts, both in terms of casualties and material losses.

According to Dwikorita, her party continues to convey early warnings of extreme weather through various official communication channels, including the BMKG website, mobile application, SMS blasting and social media. However, the effectiveness of this early warning is highly dependent on the readiness of the region to respond with concrete steps.

"Closer coordination is needed between local governments and communities to minimize the risk of hydrometeorological disasters more quickly and effectively," said Dwikorita in a press release on Tuesday (4/3).

Dwikorita understands that many regions are currently led by new regional heads. It is possible that they are still adapting to the apparatus under them.

Therefore, BMKG is ready to provide further assistance, so that understanding of the early warning system is increasingly optimal and can be translated into effective mitigation actions.

High intensity rain is predicted to still occur on March 4-11, 2025. This condition is very vulnerable to triggering disasters in various regions of Indonesia. Mitigation and preparedness of all parties, citizens or government, must be prepared early to prevent bad impacts from happening again.