This Is The Trigger For Moving Land Disasters To One Village In Purwakarta To Be Evacuated

The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources stated that the land movement disaster in Cigintung Village, Purwakarta Regency, West Java had made all its citizens evacuated by the accumulation of groundwater that triggered the smoothing of the underground structure below the surface.

Head of the Geological Agency Muhammad Wafid explained that the movement of soil in the area began with the interaction between groundwater and the field of geological contact between the layer of old volcanic deposits and the thick rock that was below it.

"The soil water that is accumulated in the contact field increases pore pressure and causes soilcases to decrease. The barriers that interact with the water become plastic and soften, so that the stability of the slopes above are disturbed," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, June 20.

The Geological Agency assesses that this condition is even more risky when it rains continuously, because the water seeps into the ground makes the sliding field more slippery and prone to movement. As a result, the above layer of soil has a shift called the drain movement.

Wafid said that this ground movement was marked by the appearance of cracks, subsidence, and lending on the legs of the slopes due to pressure from the material above.

"This movement can continue to repeat itself if the level of saturation of ground water does not immediately decrease or be handled structurally," he said.

Based on field inspections, the ground movement that occurs in Cigintung is curved or rotational and continues to grow, with the direction of shifting to the southwest in the crown and to the northeast at the foot of the slope.

Referring to the records of the Geological Agency team, it was found that the location of the landslide was in the vulnerability zone of medium to high ground movement, and based on information from residents, a similar incident occurred in 2007, then it became active again since April 20, 2025.

The Geological Team found that the ground movement was getting more intensive in May and June 2025, causing all residents of Cigintung Village, Purwakarta to be temporarily evacuated.

"When the inspection was carried out, the movement was still growing so that all residents of Cigintung Village were temporarily evacuated," he said.

Data from BPBD Purwakarta Regency as of June 17, 2025, recorded the impact of the disaster in the form of 69 damaged houses, one affected house of worship, and 256 people displaced. One section of the road between villages was also cut off, although there were no casualties.

"Residents must remain vigilant, especially when rainfall increases, and avoid heavy activity around the slopes. Farming activities can still be carried out, but it is necessary to consider the condition of the soil regularly," said Wafid.