West Java tourists reach 1.3 million souls, Iwan Suryawan asks for SOP for evacuation on vulnerable routes to be tightened

BANDUNG - Deputy Chairman of the West Java Provincial DPRD, Iwan Suryawan, issued a firm instruction following the threat of extreme weather predicted to hit West Java until the end of March 2026.

Based on weather radar monitoring, the potential for heavy rain accompanied by lightning and strong winds is high risk of triggering hydrometeorological disasters, especially at points of mass concentration which are currently still crowded with residents.

Iwan highlighted the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) phenomenon that entered the Indonesian region and triggered a significant increase in rainfall along the central mountains and the southern coast of West Java.

This phenomenon is a danger alarm because it occurs just when millions of people are on the open road.

The natural conditions that are not friendly, coupled with the geographical vulnerability of West Java to landslides and flash floods, make the early warning from the BMKG must be responded to with real action in the field, not just administrative appeals.

The PKS senior politician emphasized that vigilance must be at the highest level considering that the peak of the 2026 Lebaran return flow is taking place on March 28-29.

Vehicle congestion on vulnerable routes such as ramps and cliff areas is a critical point that is closely monitored by the DPRD. Based on the Qinanti-Siparbud System data, the number of tourists visiting West Java has reached 1,387,211 people, so the safety of millions of lives depends heavily on the readiness of officers in detecting weather threats early.

Specifically, Iwan evaluated the viral incident of sudden overflow of river water at several natural tourist attractions in the Bogor and Garut regions.

He urged every water tourism manager to immediately install water height sensors that are directly connected to the local BPBD command center.

The West Java DPRD does not want to see any casualties due to delayed information, so that every tourist destination on the riverbanks and mountain slopes must have a clear and tested Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for evacuation.

Iwan also gave a red note to a number of legendary landslide-prone routes such as Cadas Pangeran, Lingkar Nagreg, and Puncak Route.

High intensity rainfall in a long duration can saturate the soil in the cliff area which has the potential to cause cracks and sudden landslides to the road body.

Therefore, BPBD personnel and rescue teams must be alerted at blind spots (blind spots) away from settlements to carry out preventive actions, including temporary road closures if the situation worsens.

In addition to landslides, the issue of fallen trees that often trigger fatal accidents on main roads is also a serious concern.

Iwan asked the Forestry Service and related agencies to conduct a survey of old trees along the homecoming route to minimize the risk for drivers.

In the eyes of policy, he emphasized that public safety is the highest law, so the West Java Provincial Government is asked not to hesitate to issue an emergency status if the escalation of extreme weather continues to threaten the safety of the community at large.

In terms of health, Iwan reminded that fluctuating air temperatures and exposure to rain can lower the body's immunity of travelers, so that health posts on arterial routes must remain on standby to provide emergency medical services.

The digitization of the warning system is also a key point of evaluation, where Iwan encourages the strengthening of the Jabar Digital Service (JDS) application so that it is able to provide location-based hazard notifications in real-time directly to the mobile phones of residents who cross the red zone of disaster.

Iwan Suryawan invites the public to increase disaster literacy independently by not forcing travel if the visibility is limited and avoid sheltering under flyovers or billboards during strong winds.

After the Lebaran holiday, the West Java DPRD will carry out intensive coordination with related services to ensure the readiness of early detection tools for disasters in all districts and cities as a step to build a resilient disaster defense system in the midst of global climate uncertainty.