BNPB: 'Prolonged Drought Triggers Landslides During Rains in Bogor'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that a prolonged drought in Java could trigger landslides when it rains. The agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the island had experienced nearly four months without rain during the dry season, resulting in cracked ground.

When the area suddenly experiences high-intensity rain, the rainwater fills the cracks, triggering landslides.

“That's why we see several quite significant landslides, especially in West Java, Central Java. And we know that West Java, from the center to the south, is a hilly area that is prone to landslides,” Abdul said in the Disaster Briefing in Jakarta, on Monday, November 20, 2023.

Abdul appealed to the local government to pay attention to this condition, especially in the next month or two, as the rainy season is approaching and landslides may become more frequent. Moreover, Java is likely to experience extreme weather during the transitional season.

Landslides in Bogor

Landslides have hit several areas in Bogor as rain has soaked the region in recent days after being hit by a long dry spell. One of the landslides occurred last Thursday in the area of the Batutulis station redevelopment project, causing the collapse of a 20-meter-high sheet pile wall on Jalan Batutulis.

The other incidents resulted in the toppling of an electricity pole and the rupture of a pipe belonging to PDAM Bogor City, cutting off power and water supply to 30,000 residents. “These incidents occurred at the same location as the previous landslide in March,” the Bogor Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Theofilo Patricinio Freitas said on Friday, November 17.

Additionally, landslides also occurred in Jampang Village, Bogor Regency and Mantarena Village, Central Bogor after rain on Saturday, November 18.

ANTARA