10-Metre Wide Sinkhole Appears in Girisubo, Gunungkidul

A sinkhole caused by ground collapse has appeared in a field owned by a resident in Banagung, Tileng, Girisubo, Gunungkidul. It is suspected to have been triggered by heavy rain, which caused the hole to grow larger.

Member of the Tileng Sub-District Disaster Alert Cadre (Tagana), Ngatijan, stated that heavy rain initially struck Tileng on Wednesday (4 March). Subsequently, the field owner, Paijan, discovered the hole while preparing to farm.

“At that time, the ground collapse was not yet large, with a width and depth of about two metres,” he said when contacted by reporters on Thursday (30 April 2025).

Feeling that the sinkhole was not large, Paijan continued his farming activities. However, over time, the hole grew larger, and Paijan eventually reported it to Ngatijan.

“Yesterday, the field owner reported it to me because the hole had grown bigger, and this morning I checked it; the width is about 10 metres with a depth of around four metres,” he said.

In addition, Ngatijan mentioned that there are ground cracks around the sinkhole. In fact, Ngatijan assessed these cracks as quite long.

“There are ground cracks around the collapsed area, and they could potentially collapse as well,” he said.

Therefore, Ngatijan installed barriers around the sinkhole. The purpose, Ngatijan continued, is to serve as a marker and prevent the public from approaching the site where the sinkhole appeared.

“To anticipate the hole widening further, this morning I put up barriers using cassava stems around the hole,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of Emergency and Logistics Division of the Gunungkidul BPBD, Edy Winarta, said he was aware of the sinkhole’s appearance in Tileng. Edy stated that personnel are currently heading to the location to conduct an assessment.

“For future handling, we usually collaborate with universities to coordinate and check the field,” he said.

Furthermore, Edy mentioned that personnel and university parties will conduct research at the sinkhole site. The research is to determine the cause of the sinkhole’s appearance and recommendations for its mitigation.

“The research is to find out what caused it. From there, both we and the universities we collaborate with can jointly provide recommendations or steps for mitigation,” he said.