PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Flood disasters hit a number of cities and districts in West Java when high intensity rain occurred.

Head of the West Java Province Communication and Information Service, Ika Mardiah, said, based on data collected by the Statistics Division, from January to May 2024 there had been 94 flood disasters, which occurred in 25 cities and regencies in West Java. There are two areas, namely Pangandaran Regency and Banjar City, which did not experience flooding.

"The districts/cities with the most flooding incidents are Bandung Regency with 10 incidents, Bogor Regency with 9 incidents, Sukabumi Regency with 8 incidents, Sukabumi City with 7 incidents, then Cirebon Regency and Majalengka Regency with 5 incidents," said Ika at the Statistics Webinar Series #3 of the Year. 2024 with the theme "Getting to Know Bancana Mitigation in West Java Closer" in Bandung City, Thursday (2/5/2024).

According to Ika, floods in West Java caused structural damage to public infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, drainage systems as well as damage to plants, outdoor furniture or submerged vehicles.

“Flooding caused structural damage to 21 city districts in West Java. "There are four areas that experienced flooding without experiencing structural damage, namely Subang Regency, Indramayu, Tasikmalaya and Bogor City," said Ika.

"The damage caused by the flood was 70 houses slightly damaged, 15 houses moderately damaged, and 141 houses seriously damaged. "Then 137,153 people were affected, 4 people died, 33 other buildings and 60 public facilities were affected," he added.

Meanwhile, for extreme weather, explained Ika, 202 events were recorded in West Java from the beginning of the year to May 1, which were experienced by 23 districts/cities.

The areas that experienced the most extreme weather events were Bogor Regency with 69 incidents, Sukabumi Regency with 21 incidents, and Bogor City with 20 incidents. Then Ciamis Regency had 15 incidents, Bandung Regency had 12 incidents, and West Bandung Regency and Kuningan Regency had 10 incidents.

Ika explained that extreme weather caused structural damage to 22 districts/cities. Cianjur Regency is an area in West Java that experienced extreme weather but no structural damage occurred.

"There are four areas that do not experience extreme weather, namely Cirebon City, Bekasi City, Depok City and Cimahi City," he said.

Impact of extreme weather

Based on data, damage caused by extreme weather was 995 houses slightly damaged, 557 houses moderately damaged, and 352 houses seriously damaged. Apart from that, 6,015 people were affected, 5 people died, 20 educational facilities were affected, 55 other buildings and 54 public facilities were affected.

The causes of flooding are both natural and human. Natural factors include heavy rainfall which can cause rivers, lakes or drainage channels to overflow, triggering floods.

Meanwhile, the sources and causes of flooding are due to human factors, including unplanned urban development which can reduce the soil's ability to absorb rainwater, as well as poor infrastructure development, damaged or inadequate drainage channels which can cause waterlogging, especially during heavy rain.

Head of the West Java Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Rachmat Prasetya, said that one of the factors that influences the climate in West Java is the sea level anomaly in the Pacific which is the cause of El Nino and La Nina.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Human Settlements of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Diana Kusumastuti, stated that flood disasters that occur due to high rainfall intensity can bring waste and dirt, so waste water needs to be managed and handled properly.

"Because some of the water in the river is used as raw material for us to consume for drinking water," said Diana.

West Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Young Disaster Analyst Edwin Zulkarnain appealed to the public to remain alert to the possibility of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides or drought.

"Of the 14 disaster threats that occurred in West Java, hydrometeorological is the largest causing disasters in most areas of West Java," concluded Edwin.