Ridwan Kamil Plunges Into The West Java Disaster Location, Reminds Residents In These 4 Regions To Be Alert And Take Care Of Each Other

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (first from left, front) with Bogor Mayor Bima Arya (second from left, front) while visiting Manah's family/Via ANTARA

JABAR - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil appealed to residents in four areas, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Garut, to be alert to floods, landslides and houses collapsing during extreme weather.

"My message to residents is to be vigilant. In the days to come if there is a bit of extreme weather, we must take care of each other and prepare for each other," said Ridwan Kamil during a visit to the location of the buried house in Salabenda Bot Village, Curug Village, Bogor City, Antara , Wednesday, July 20.

Ridwan Kamil said, specifically in West Java, four areas were hit by the disaster, some of which were in Bekasi, Bogor, and Depok. The worst was in Garut Regency.

In Bogor City, where Ridwan Kamil visited, a resident of Salabenda Bot Village, Curug Village, Manah (57), died under the foundation of a neighbor's house that collapsed right above his kitchen last Friday.

Manah's house, which is located in a densely populated area, was buried under the foundation of a neighbor's house named Jujun, causing him to die in the incident.

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Bogor City took more than five hours to remove Manah's body, due to the large amount of debris and the weather at the location of heavy to light rain.

Ridwan Kamil conveyed that disasters were almost evenly distributed on the island of Java, in the form of floods in Banten, West Java, DKI and Central Java. The West Java Provincial Government, he said, had sent aid, evaluated the river system to prevent flooding from recurring in several areas, provided emergency response and reconstructed two houses affected by the disaster in recent months.

"Hydrologic disasters, a characteristic feature in West Java are disasters related to water. But we have done our best to handle anti-floods," he said.

The West Java Provincial Government, said Ridwan Kamil, has received an award from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) regarding an environment-based development strategy, together with East Java and Central Java, one of which pays attention to disaster prevention.

"God willing, we will maximize it and reduce the number of disasters, hopefully that will be our legacy for the future," he said.