11-Metre Cliff Collapses in Ciomas, Bogor, Blocking Ciapus River Flow

A retaining wall (tembok penahan tanah, TPT) collapsed in Pagelaran village, Ciomas district, Bogor, West Java. The cause was unstable ground contours which reduced the soil’s density.

“The landslide is estimated to have occurred because of unstable soil contours mixed with waste, so the ground condition was not compact,” said the head of emergency and logistics at the Bogor Regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), M Adam Hamdani, on Thursday (9 July).

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening (8 July). That morning, BPBD officers received a report of the event so disaster management could be carried out, as the landslide material had blocked part of the Ciapus River flow.

“The public facility affected is the TPT along the Ciapus River, with a landslide approximately 11 metres high, 26 metres long and 5 metres wide,” he explained.

Adam said there were no casualties in the incident. In addition to the unstable soil contours, the river flow had triggered erosion of the ground.

“Our analysis is that the soil contour was unstable, the TPT consisted only of piled-up earth, and beneath it ran the Ciapus River, which likely eroded the retaining wall,” he said.

BPBD officers have carried out handling at the scene of the incident. The landslide material has not yet been repaired, and the landowner will be held responsible.

“The landslide debris blocking the Ciapus River flow will be evacuated (cleared) by the landowner using heavy equipment,” he concluded.