Ahmad Luthfi Reviews Brebes Landslide, Pushes for Road and School Repairs
A landslide in the area was caused by high-intensity rainfall, which increased the flow of the Longkrang River on 1 March 2026. The river current eroded the riverbank, triggering soil saturation and a landslide.
The incident worsened when heavy rain struck the area again on 8 March 2026. The riverbank was further eroded, causing another landslide that destroyed a road section and collapsed a building at SMP Muhammadiyah 3 Paguyangan. No fatalities were reported in either incident.
Luthfi visited the current condition of the landslide site, which destroyed the inter-village and inter-district connecting road. He immediately held a follow-up coordination meeting at the location involving all stakeholders and community representatives.
“The road must be built immediately. We will discuss the technical details first because this is a district road, and the province will intervene. The district will prepare alternatives, and the province will do its part,” Luthfi said in a statement on Wednesday (11/3/2026).
He made this statement whilst giving directions during the follow-up meeting on landslide response in Cilibur Village, Brebes, on Wednesday (11/3).
In handling the disaster, Luthfi also requested acceleration of repairs to SMP Muhammadiyah 3 Paguyangan, which was affected by the disaster. The disaster caused bathroom buildings to collapse and other buildings threatened collapse. Consequently, teaching and learning activities were relocated temporarily to the Muhammadiyah Madrasah Diniyah Building in Cilibur Village, approximately 200-300 metres from the landslide site.
“School children must not stop their studies. The school principal should immediately report to the education office about any shortages. Although the junior secondary school is the regent’s responsibility, the province will assist,” he said.
Similarly, relocation plans for SMP Muhammadiyah 3 must be carried out quickly, since teaching and learning activities cannot wait. Therefore, school operations must continue.
The Head of the Central Java Public Works and Spatial Planning Department (DPUPR), Henggar Budi Anggoro, said there were two alternatives for road handling. First, relocating the road by utilising communal land. Second, maintaining the existing road by constructing a slope or riverbank protection for the eroded riverbank.
“For the second alternative, we will demolish the frontmost building to open road access, after which we only need to handle the road curve. We will coordinate this again with the District Office,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Principal of SMP Muhammadiyah 3 Paguyangan, Ahmad Najib, said teaching and learning activities are currently running normally. Temporarily using the Madrasah Diniyah building belonging to Muhammadiyah, approximately 200 metres from the site.
“We have 108 students. Learning activities are continuing well,” he said.
Regarding relocation plans for SMP Muhammadiyah 3, the school and Amal Usaha Muhammadiyah (AUM) have already searched for alternative locations. The location has been discussed with the Muhammadiyah branch chairman, and only needs inspection by the relevant office.
“We have submitted a report to the office and the school must indeed be relocated. The location has been discussed with the branch chairman, and now we are awaiting inspection,” he said.
For information, during the inspection, Luthfi was accompanied by Brebes Regent Paramitha Widya Kusuma; Head of the Central Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Bergas Catursasi Penanggungan; Head of the Central Java Public Works and Spatial Planning Department (DPUPR), Henggar Budi Anggoro; and Head of the Education Office, Sadimin.