Landscape Changes Are Suspected To Be The Cause Of Floods In Bantul

Bantul Regent Abdul Halim Muslih reviewed the Imogiri area, Bantul (Doc. ANTARA)

BANTUL - Abdul Halim Muslih, Regent of Bantul, DIY said that changes in landscapes or landscapes that occur in upstream areas that run to the districts are the cause of flooding.

"This flood incident must be seen from various sides, including changes in the landscape, namely the transfer of the function of closing vegetation and it has been proven to have resulted in flooding," said Regent Halim after receiving a visit from the Minister of Environment at Embung Wukirsari 2 Imogiri Bantul, citing ANTARA on Sunday, April 20.

According to him, such as the flood incident in the Jakarta area some time ago which coincided with the Bantul Regency area due to the large landscape changes in the peak area, as was the case in Bantul Regency.

"This assistance is downstream from all the waters in DIY, so this must also be seen in a wider area, namely the DIY region, meaning how the landscaping changes in Sleman, how that happened in the city (Yogyakarta) cannot be separated from the flood events that occurred in Bantul," he said.

He said that because the Bantul area is the downstream of all water in DIY, specifically the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency will deploy environmental watchdogs.

"This supervisor will re-evaluate the changes in landscaping in DIY, including in Bantul Regency, especially landscape changes due to mining and housing, this is solely to control the environment in the long term," he said.

Regent Halim said this step was taken to provide long-term solutions, because the cover of vegetation, which is still happening today and is quite good, has resulted in such a large flood.

"Especially if the changes to the landscape continue to occur, we cannot imagine what future flooding will be like," he said.

According to him, the purpose of the Ministry of Environment will immediately send the environmental supervisor its urgency so that the landscape in DIY, including Bantul Regency, is more maintained and more established.

"For example, trees that are donated will reduce the absorption of water to the ground, so the established trees or rocks that have been mined will result in mud shipments which ultimately result in sedimentation in the river," he said.