PORTALJABAR, DISTRICT. BANDUNG - Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin confirmed that in the rainy season flood management for the Baleendah, Dayeuhkolot and Andir areas in Bandung Regency will be reduced by 81 percent.

Bey said this after inspecting the Andir Retention Pool, Rancamanyar Oxbow and Nanjung Tunnel which function to handle floods in the southern Bandung area, Tuesday (2/1/2024).

According to information from BMKG, rainfall will be high in January-February 2024.

For this reason, Bey visited flood control infrastructure in the three locations to ensure that flooding in the southern Bandung area was controlled.

"What is the aim, to find out the flood control infrastructure because BMKG estimates that January-February will be the peak of the rainy season and I think this has been done very well by BBWS Citarum, and this all reduces the threat of flooding by 81 percent in Baleendah, Dayeuhkolot and Andir, Bey said.

"This is a location where flooding (frequently) occurs and now it can be reduced by 81 percent. Even if there is a flood, the absorption is very fast," he added.

However, Bey still urges the public to pay attention to the surrounding environment by not throwing rubbish carelessly.

If this is implemented, the three flood control infrastructure will operate optimally.

"So that people can reduce waste, don't throw rubbish carelessly in these places (river banks)," he appealed.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Citarum River Basin Center (BBWS), Bastari, revealed that the Andir Retention Pond, Rancamanyar Oxbow and Nanjung Tunnel are flood control systems for the Andir, Baleendah and Dayeuhkolot areas.

According to him, with this system the flood has been handled 81 percent. Of the 732 hectares of flood area, now only 72 hectares remain.

"We will also add more pumps in 2023, namely the Cibugel and Cigede pumps, where there are several areas that are low, we will add pumps so that water can be pumped when the Citarum River is high and it rains heavily in Bandung," said Bastari.

He also shared the positive response from residents who live in the Andir area, that for 20 years, floods in the area have often waited up to a month to recede.

However, when there are three flood control infrastructures, waiting for it to recede only takes a maximum of one day or even a few hours.

"A resident of Andir said that for 20 years there have been frequent floods, the receding could take months, but now you can see, the floods take a matter of hours or at most days. In one day we can control it, the water recedes with the help of pumps," said Bastari.