Vegetation Destruction Causes Garut Flashfloods, Minister Says
24 September 2016 09:52 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Public Works and Housing Basuki Hadimuljono reported that its ministry has found some damage to vegetation in the upstream region of Cimanuk river basin area.
According to him, the damage to vegetation has caused flash floods in Garut, West Java, that claimed 26 lives.
"Yesterday I went to the location," he said in Malang, Friday, (22/9).
From the result of this visit, Basuki said there should be efforts to improve the environment in the Cimanuk river basin area and if it’s not immediately restored, it is feared that similar natural disasters can happen again.
He went on to say that the critical condition of the basin area continues to get worse since 1992 and the main cause is the environment, such as the destruction of vegetation in the basin area which contributes to floods and landslides.
Earlier, an investigator at Hydrology and Basin Area Management Agency at the Technology Assessment and Application Agency (BPPT), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that 118 of the 450 total basin areas are in critical condition due to massive human intervention.
EKO WIDIANTO
