BNPB Reveals Forest Function Transfer Exacerbated Landslides In West Bandung

The condition of Gungung Village, Cipongor, West Bandung Regency, West Java after being hit by floods and landslides, Monday (25/3/2024) (ANTARA/HO-BNPB)

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) revealed that the conversion of forests has exacerbated the impact of landslides in Cipongkor and Rongga, West Bandung Regency, West Java has damaged hundreds of houses and four residents have died.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center Abdul Muhari said based on satellite imagery and visualization of unmanned aircraft (drone), several forest areas in the upper part of the Cibenda hills, Cipongkor have changed its function to agricultural and rice fields.

Furthermore, the vegetation of the rhibun forest on the Southwest and Northeast sides of the Cibenda hills also appears to have been planted with horticultural plants.

"So because the change resulted in the loss of vegetation which played an important role in maintaining soil stability. When hit by landslides, landslides and hoarding residential areas that were right under the hill," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, March 28.

Abdul emphasized that the conversion of forest functions for agricultural land does not mean that it is completely prohibited, but must be done with careful consideration and accompanied by technical engineering to prevent disasters.

Meanwhile, from the analysis conducted by BNPB, it was known that the rice fields in the landslide-affected areas implemented the most traditional system to prevent soil erosion or smoothing.

This is like the general rice fields in hilly areas that can be found in other parts of Indonesia.

"So in the long-term plan, we recommend that people be relocated to safer places, or that there must be natural or artificial engineering so as to protect when there is a high intensity of rain," he said.

Meanwhile, based on data from the BNPB Pusdalops report, it is known that landslides have damaged as many as 30 residential units in Cibenda Village, 28 of which were heavily damaged and almost razed to the ground. This includes destroying two units of places of worship and two educational facilities.

Then, for the disaster site in Rongga, 71 houses were heavily damaged, six were moderately damaged and 142 units were lightly damaged, then there were 45 other housing units that were threatened with further disasters and were still under the supervision of the West Bandung emergency response team.

At least until Thursday morning, the number of victims collected was 1,610 residents who fled to the evacuation sites prepared, 527 people each in Cipongkor, and 1,083 residents in Rongga.

As many as 10 residents were declared missing in the search, and four of them were found dead after being buried by landslide material which was 30 meters deep by the joint SAR team.