For a Decade, Bogor Regency Has Always Been Hit by Natural Disasters

At least every year for a decade, natural disasters have repeatedly occurred in Bogor Regency. Extreme weather is always cited as the main cause of these disasters.

The Bogor Regency Government must find a way to immediately mitigate the disaster while still evenly distributing infrastructure development.

For decades, residents of Bogor Regency have lived side by side with hydrometeorological disasters.

Natural disasters that continue to recur have yet to provide lessons for the government and local residents. Over at least the past decade, the disasters that have occurred have become increasingly severe and widespread in their destructive impacts.

In early 2015, the Bogor area was immediately faced with a situation of high rainfall which resulted in overflowing rivers and flash floods.

At the end of October through November, a tornado struck 10 villages in Bogor Regency. At least 800 homes in Ciomas District were affected, ranging from minor to severe damage.

In January 2016, the main route toward the Puncak area (Bogor Regency and Cianjur Regency) experienced a landslide on a cliff in Cijedil Village, Cugenang District, Cianjur Regency.

A 25-meter-long and 7-meter-high landslide that blocked the road was triggered by heavy rain. Three months later, three tourists were killed and two others were seriously injured due to land movement at a hotel.

In April 2017, the Cipamingkis Bridge in Jonggol Village, Jonggol Subdistrict, Bogor Regency collapsed, cutting off the alternative route from Cibubur to Cianjur.

At the end of the year, landslides, whirlwinds, and floods once again struck 17 locations in Bogor Regency. The Data and Information Center of the Bogor Regency BPBD reported 27 landslides or ground movements, affecting 677 people.

Landslides and floods struck again in April 2018. This time, three sub-districts in Bogor Regency and three sub-districts in Bogor City were affected. This incident claimed lives, left around 27 residents homeless, and caused a bridge to collapse.

The situation worsened the following year, precisely from January to March 2019. As many as 15 sub-districts in Bogor Regency were hit by tornadoes, landslides, and floods. In addition to fatalities, at least 987 houses were damaged or collapsed, and roads were damaged.

Two months before the Covid-19 pandemic was announced, dozens of sub-districts in Bogor Regency were affected by landslides and flash floods. At least 24 people died, the electricity network was damaged, and dozens of houses collapsed.

While struggling with handling the Covid-19 pandemic, residents in Bogor Regency had to face natural disasters that returned in January and February 2021.

At least 22 sub-districts were affected. Around 500 residents were displaced because their houses were damaged/collapsed and public facilities such as schools and roads were badly damaged.

Then, throughout January to July 2022, the Bogor Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported 284 disaster incidents that impacted 38 sub-districts.

There were 199 landslides, 42 floods, 21 earthquakes, 14 landslides, 8 fires. The impact was severe, 17,483 residents were displaced, 43 residents died, 56 residents were seriously and lightly injured, 1,297 houses were lightly to severely damaged, and 81 places of worship, education, and public facilities were damaged.

The following year, landslides, floods, and earthquakes occurred in April and December 2023. It was recorded that 24 sub-districts were hit by floods and landslides and caused 884 residents to be evacuated.

Meanwhile, an earthquake measuring 4.6 in December 2023 that hit the Sukabumi and Bogor areas resulted in 61 houses being slightly to severely damaged.

Last year, precisely in January-February and November-December 2024, 32 sub-districts in Bogor Regency were hit by tornadoes, landslides, and floods.

The BPBD report stated that 4,054 residents were affected, 15 people died, 344 houses were lightly to severely damaged, bridges were broken, and roads were badly damaged.

As if it never stops from year to year, landslides, strong winds, and flash floods have struck again in March 2025. At least 16 sub-districts have been affected. So far, 423 residents have been affected, one person died (swept away), 998 residents and 257 houses have been affected.

If viewed over a decade, disaster events in Bogor Regency tend to be dominant at the beginning and towards the end of the year, following the cycle of extreme weather. However, it would be too naive if this factor is continuously accused of causing infrastructure damage and claiming lives.

Geographically, Bogor Regency is only about 60 kilometers from Jakarta, but development problems are still a fundamental problem for this regency with a population of 5.6 million people.

In fact, in some aspects, the condition of this area tends to lag behind when compared to several other areas in West Java. Infrastructure issues, environmental management, and community welfare are major challenges for the Bogor Regency Government.

In addition, hydrometeorological disasters have continued to haunt the region for decades. On the one hand, the Bogor area is a tourist attraction for residents of Jakarta, Banten, and its surroundings.

On the other hand, this area is under the shadow of the continuing decline in environmental carrying capacity and the increasing incidence of natural disasters that continue to recur.

The problem of land conversion actually began before Indonesia's independence. Around 1700, the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) introduced the planting of coffea arabica coffee in the Jabotabek-Karawang area which then spread to Sukabumi, Cianjur, Bandung, and Tasikmalaya.

This coffee plantation variety has also developed over time into Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa coffee.

One hundred years later, the Bogor Regency area is still dominated by dense tropical forests and traditional agricultural lands.

The colonial government at that time opened many plantations in the Puncak and Cisarua areas, especially for tea and coffee. In 1870, the Agrarische Wet was enacted which changed the Halimun-Salak area into a plantation area.

The first recorded major flood in Jakarta was in 1918 after the clearing of forests in the southern mountains of Bogor for tea plantations.

Many people work on land in the highlands for plantations or homes, making it difficult for forestry authorities to determine and organize forest area boundaries.

The morphology of Bogor Regency is dominated by highlands, hills, and mountains, with rocks resulting from volcanic eruptions such as andesite, tuff, and basalt as their components.

This combination of rocks has properties that are quite permeable to water, so it is able to absorb large amounts of rainwater.

However, this type of rock also tends to experience weathering which can increase the risk of landslides, especially during high rainfall.

For decades until now, the Bogor area has faced challenges ranging from encroachment, land conversion, inconsistent use with policies, exceeded land capacity, declining hydrological quality, various disasters, spatial planning, waste, tourism sustainability, and agrarian issues.

In fact, the Puncak area is the backbone of the conservation area, upstream area, water catchment area, wildlife protection, and producer of highland agricultural commodities, as well as a tourist destination.

The sale and purchase of state land with plantation cultivation rights (HGU) status is easily found in the Puncak area, Bogor Regency. Some of the land being traded is on a steep slope with a gradient of more than 45 degrees.

The land area for sale ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 square meters. As a result, the green land of the water catchment area in the upper reaches of the Ciliwung River is easily converted into various permanent buildings. (Kompas.id, February 5, 2021)

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said that more than 1,000 hectares of tea plantation land in Puncak has been converted. This condition is a serious concern because it has the potential to worsen environmental conditions.

He continued, the floods that have occurred since long ago have not ended and it is necessary to reallocate the budget to spend based on public needs.

Dedy emphasized that land conversion in Puncak must be stopped immediately to maintain ecosystem balance and prevent further disasters.

The plan is that the West Java Provincial Government will coordinate with PT Perkebunan Nusantara and Perhutani Jabar to restore the conservation function of the land that has changed.

This is where the private sector must be evaluated for land and property ownership that has reduced water absorption capacity.

As a quick step, the Bogor Regency government also issued an emergency response status after holding a coordination meeting with BNPB on Monday (3/3/2025).

Head of BNPB Suharyanto said that the emergency response status was implemented to facilitate the provision of assistance to victims affected by the disaster.

"To ensure that the needs of the flood-affected community, especially those who have been displaced, are truly met as much as possible. Then it was also recorded that there were houses that were damaged, whether moderately, lightly, or heavily. The government will also provide assistance to them," said Suharyanto after the coordination meeting (Kompas, 3/3/2025)

Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto said the emergency response status is valid for 14 days or March 17, 2025.

Overall, Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto guaranteed that Bogor Regency residents who were affected would be given health and logistical assistance during the emergency response period.

The Regent also ensured that all infrastructure affected by the disaster, such as damaged roads and bridges, will be completed before the Eid al-Fitr celebrations at the end of this month. (LITBANG KOMPAS)