Garut BPBD Bans Residents From Using Land Prone To Land Landslides To Become Rice Fields

Head of BPBD Garut Regencymens Anwar Saefuloh. ANTARA/HO-Diskominfo Garut

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Garut Regency, West Java, has banned residents from utilizing land prone to movable land and landslides in Banjarwangi and Pakenjeng sub-districts into rice fields or wet land. "There are (referencings and prohibitions), we have carried out along with the relevant agencies," said Head of BPBD Garut Regency calm Anwar Saefuloh in Garut, Antara, Wednesday, May 8. He said the local government had set an Emergency Response for Natural Disasters for areas affected by landslides in Talagajaya Village, Banjarwangi District, and moving land in Sukamulya Village, Pakenjeng District. The area is considered prone to natural disasters so that residents' houses must be relocated and the people there will not use the land for wet plants such as rice fields or ponds. "We are taking educational steps for residents because after all, in a fairly steep slope, there should be no wetted land or wet plants, such as rice fields, ponds," he said. His party has been trying to educate people in areas prone to natural disasters to have awareness related to disaster mitigation. Including, he continued, educating about the use of safe agricultural land, or not at risk of endangering the safety of the lives of people who are active in disaster-prone areas. "In the place where we now have a decrease or movement of the land, we have prohibited rice fields or ponds from being carried out," he said. He added that the natural disasters that hit the two areas caused 70 houses to be affected, as many as 63 houses had to be relocated to a place that was safe from the dangers of natural disasters.

During the relocation process, he said, local governments provided assistance to meet the needs of the people who were victims of natural disasters. "Submission of assistance for them so that every day there should be no food shortages, yes, their clothing is still there, maybe the missing board, we will prepare it," he said.