Agus Maryono and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto, Bandung | Thu, 11/20/2008 10:39 AM
Central Java has set aside funds in anticipation of recurring rain-triggered disasters while neighboring West Java braces for more floods and landslides expected due to increased environmental degradation.
Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo said his administration had allocated at least Rp 25 billion (US$2.08 million) in preparation for natural disasters that recur every wet season such as landslides and floods, especially in the southern part of the province.
"We will pay more attention to the annual natural disasters. We don't want people to suffer, so we have set aside assistance in line with the province's capacity," Bibit told reporters in Purwokerto on Wednesday following a tour of the Banyumas General Hospital.
"We have set aside Rp 25 billion as emergency funds to prevent disasters in Central Java."
He said of the 35 regencies in Central Java, the bordering greater Banyumas and Kedu regions were most prone to floods and landslides.
Greater Banyumas includes Banjarnegara, Banyumas, Cilacap and Purbalingga regencies while Greater Kedu region includes Kebumen, Magelang, Purworejo and Wonosobo regencies, as well as Magelang municipality.
Banyumas, Cilacap and Kebumen regencies, according to Bibit, are prone to floods, while Banjarnegara and Wonosobo are vulnerable to landslides as they lie on higher plains.
Separately, a man was killed when a landslide struck his home in Banyumas on Tuesday night. The victim, 53-year-old Sunarso from Cilongok village, was asleep when the incident occurred but nobody else was injured.
A local village official said Sunarso died Wednesday in hospital after being evacuated from the rubble of his home.
Erosion and runoff are being blamed for landslides occurring in a number of regions despite relatively normal rainfall levels and sporadic heavy downpours.
On Tuesday, a landslide triggered by several hours of rain struck Gunung Putri village in West Bandung regency, leaving 16 homes damaged, some seriously.
While there were no reported casualties, many families lost their homes. The regencies of Majalaya, Cieunteung, Baleendah and Bandung remain inundated by floods.
The Bandung office of the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency (BMG) head Jaya Murjaya said rainfall in Bandung and surrounding cities, including Cianjur and Garut, was still considered normal, and was simply one factor in triggering landslides.
"The dominant factor is the environment, such as soil stability in cliff areas and water absorption," Jay told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Wednesday.
The BMG recorded 162.8 millimeters of rainfall during the first 10 days of November. It considers these levels stable considering average rainfall across 10 day periods has reached 200 ml in past months.
"This is not the peak yet, we still have December to January," said Jaya.
The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center head Surono said 36 landslides had taken place in West Java from January to November, more than half in Garut.
The disasters claimed the lives of 14 people, 13 of whom died in one landslide in Cianjur last week.
"Landslides have occurred despite the fact that it's not the peak of the rainy season," said Surono.
The 11th victim of the landslide in Cianjur has been identified as two-year-old Hilma.
Cianjur regency spokesman Aban Sobandi said the victim was swept away from her home. He said search efforts would continue until next week to locate two remaining victims still missing.
