Heavy Rainfall, Landslides Hit Four Villages in West Bandung

BANDUNG, KOMPAS-- Heavy rainfall resulted in a natural disaster of landslides affecting four villages in Lembang District, West Bandung Regency, West Java, on Wednesday (14/5/2025) evening. Six people were injured in this incident.

Data collected by Kompas from the West Bandung Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), landslides occurred in four villages in Lembang District, namely Cibogo, Kayuambon, Jayagiri and Pagerwangi. There was a landslide of 30 to 50 meters in length at the location.

Landslides resulted in six people being injured, five of whom sustained minor injuries and one person suffered moderate injuries. Additionally, four houses and one building were affected by the landslide. Furthermore, four other houses are at risk of collapsing due to their location in the landslide area.

"High rainfall during the transitional season is the main trigger. In Cibogo Village, six people were injured due to landslides," said Hadi Rahmat, as the Public Relations Officer of the West Java BPBD in Bandung, Thursday (15/5/2025).

Hadi stated that the West Java Provincial BPBD team and the West Bandung Regency have coordinated with local authorities. They are currently assessing the situation on the ground to determine the impact of the disaster, including mapping the urgent needs of the affected residents.

He added that the current situation is still under monitoring. Officers are urged to remain alert considering the potential for high rainfall in the Lembang area and its surroundings. "The injured victims have been evacuated and referred to Salamun Hospital for medical treatment," said Hadi.

Based on predictions from the West Java Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), extreme weather is still likely to occur in the West Java region in the upcoming week.

Rossian Nursiddiq, Duty Forecaster at BMKG West Java, stated that there are several meteorological factors that trigger an increase in water vapor supply in the atmosphere, which supports the formation of convective clouds. This is the main cause of heavy rain and extreme weather.

"The sea surface temperature in the waters around Indonesia is currently relatively warm, thus supporting evaporation and the accumulation of water vapor," said Rossian in his official statement.

Rosssian explained that the formation of cyclonic circulation in the southwestern Indian Ocean and around western Sumatra also plays a role. "This phenomenon has the potential to create wind deflections and wind convergence, which triggers the formation of rain clouds in parts of West Java," he stated.

He stated that the potential for moderate to heavy rainfall should still be monitored, even though it does not occur throughout the week. This is particularly true in disaster-prone areas such as landslides and floods.

"The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) urges the public to remain vigilant and monitor the latest weather information, as well as to avoid activities in disaster-prone areas during heavy rainfall," he stated.