Iwan Suryawan Supports IDR 20 Billion Preparation For West Java Disaster Funds, But Audit Total Infiltration Area Permits

The Condition Of Kampung Kalong Dagul, Leuwiliang, Bogor Regency After Being Held By Floods (VOI)

BANDUNG - Deputy Chairman of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) of West Java Province, Iwan Suryawan, firmly expressed the full support of Governor Dedi Mulyadi's policy of disaster management, especially regarding efforts to restore the environment and massive reforestation as long-term prevention efforts.

This senior PKS politician in West Java assessed that the government, council members and the smallest community need to be aware of disaster alarms in the midst of extreme weather that often occur.

"Floods and landslides that occur in Sumatra must be a lesson for West Java, no matter how small the potential for disasters, we should not ignore them from an early age," said Iwan, Tuesday, December 2.

However, he also provided critical notes related to implementation in the field, especially in spatial planning supervision.

Iwan Suryawan started his response by highlighting the increasingly worrying trend of increasing disasters. He emphasized that the recent floods and landslides were logical consequences of severe and chronic environmental damage in the upstream region of West Java.

"We can no longer blame the weather. The main trigger is the loss of nature support. The issue of 80 percent of West Java's damaged forests is no longer just a discourse, but facts that are actually recorded in our disaster data," said Iwan Suryawan.

According to data from the West Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) for the period 1 12 November 2025 alone, a total of 74 disaster events were recorded in a short time, which were dominated by extreme weather, landslides, and floods.

The impact was very massive, 9,810 people were directly affected, with infrastructure damage reaching 38 building units heavily damaged and more than 2,459 buildings flooded. This figure shows the extraordinary vulnerability of West Java, especially in areas whose conservation functions have been disrupted.

Iwan Suryawan explained that forest damage caused rainwater not to be absorbed optimally, resulting in river water discharge increasing drastically and triggering landslides. BPBD data noted that Bogor and Cianjur Regencies were the areas with the most disasters, areas that incidentally had hilly areas and critical water absorption.

Regarding the steps taken by the West Java Provincial Government, Iwan Suryawan gave his full appreciation and support for Governor Dedi Mulyadi's policy of preparing a budget of Rp. 20 billion for Disaster Emergency Preparedness and taking the initiative to accelerate environmental recovery, including the proposed People-Based Reforestation which will pay residents to plant trees.

"We support Governor Dedi Mulyadi's total policy which emphasizes environmental prevention and rehabilitation aspects. Steps such as incentive-based reforestation are smart breakthroughs, because he not only restores forests, but also empowers the economy of the surrounding community," said Iwan.

He assessed that Governor Dedi Mulyadi's approach, which also includes improving the river flow and structuring the space based on Sundanese local wisdom, is already on the right track, which is to shift focus from post-disaster management to long-term structural mitigation.

However, Iwan Suryawan reminded that good policies from the provincial level must be closely monitored for their implementation at the district/city level. He emphasized that the main problem often lies in weak spatial control and deviant licensing practices.

"Support for conservation policies must be in line with firm action against spatial violations. We need a total audit of the permits issued in infiltration areas, such as the North Bandung (KBU) and Puncak areas. It's useless for us to plant trees, if upstream there are still illegal villas," he said.

Iwan Suryawan also mentioned the severe economic impact caused by the disaster, referring to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Java Province. BPS 2025 reports that extreme weather has boosted inflation in West Java, especially in foodstuffs groups.

"Distribution disturbances, agricultural land damage, and road access cuts due to landslides and floods, as recorded by BPS West Java, directly affect price stability. This disaster is not only a social problem, but also a serious threat to macroeconomic stability," he explained.

West Java's PDRB, which is the main motor of the national economy, will be eroded if the disaster continues to repeat itself, especially in the agricultural and trade sectors. Therefore, Iwan asked the West Java Provincial Government to enter data on economic losses (based on BPS) as the main consideration in the APBD allocation for mitigation.

Iwan Suryawan encouraged the West Java Provincial Government, through related agencies, to form a special cross-sectoral team that is permanently tasked with identifying and cracking down on development that violates the Regional Spatial Planning (RTRW). This team must collaborate with the police and prosecutors in order to have a strong enforcement authority.

On the other hand, he hopes that the community can fully support the reforestation and disaster preparedness program. Governor Dedi Mulyadi's policy of planting trees will be successful if there is participation and awareness from residents to no longer transfer the function of illegal land.

"The DPRD is ready to oversee the 2026 APBD budget so that it focuses on reforestation, improvement of mitigation infrastructure, and disaster education. West Java must rise, but the revival must start from restoring the dignity of nature that has been damaged," concluded Iwan Suryawan.