TEMPO.CO, Garut - Flash floods that left 26 dead Tuesday in Garut, West Java, were allegedly caused by forest conversion at the upstream of Cimanuk River, i.e. in Cisurupan, Cigedug and Cikajang Sub-districts.
According to Garut Deputy Regent Helmi Budiman, the land conversion program was made possible by the Company-Community Forest Partnerships (PHBM), which failed to achieve its intended results. Locals who were joining the program were unable to preserve the forest. “We had warned Perhutani [state-owned forest company] and the BKSDA [Regional Natural Resources Conservation Agency] of the state of the forest following a failed PHBM program,” he said.
Warning was made after the administration inspected ground conditions around the upstream of Cimanuk River. It had also urged Perhutani and BKSDA to preserve the forest. “Garut needs plenty of catchment areas because it is home to vast agricultural areas,” Helmi said.
Aside from land conversion, flash floods were also caused by severe precipitation. Heavy rain pounded down on Garut on Monday and Tuesday.
West Java’s Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) head Anang Sudarna made similar comments.
Degraded forest had made water flowed faster downstream, according to Anang. Anang said Cimanuk River has the worst coefficient of river regime (KRS) in Indonesia. In dry seasons, Cimanuk’s coefficient is only 1, but it jumps to 771 during wet seasons. It shows that the river is at an abnormal condition. KRS is the coefficient of the highest and lowest water discharge in a certain period.
SIGIT ZULMUNIR
