Cianjur Regency Requests West Java Provincial Government Assistance to Address Flooding in Highland Areas

This is highly concerning, as flooding has occurred in highland areas, with studies showing that the change in land use from hardy crops to vegetable plantations has led to a decline in the soil’s absorption capacity. Cianjur (ANTARA) - The Cianjur Regency Government (Pemkab Cianjur), West Java, is coordinating with the West Java Provincial Government (Pemprov Jabar) to address flooding in Cianjur’s highland areas through evaluations of spatial planning and management of upstream regions. Cianjur Regent Mohammad Wahyu Ferdian stated in Cianjur on Sunday that these steps are expected to improve environmental governance and maintain ecosystem balance in Cianjur’s highland areas, particularly in the northern region. The flooding in the highlands has become a serious concern for the local government, he said, because the area was previously known to be relatively safe from floods, but land-use conversion has become one of the causes of increased flood risk in the upstream areas. Land previously planted with coffee and tea has largely been converted to vegetable farming. In such conditions, he said, it can trigger increased surface water runoff during heavy rain, thereby increasing the potential for floods to inundate villages below. He stated that the land-use conversion from hardy crops to vegetable plantations has become one of the most prominent factors in the cross-departmental study, resulting in erosion that causes water to directly flood residents’ villages at the foot of the mountain. “We hope that the joint steps with the provincial government can improve spatial planning and area management, so that the benefits can be felt by the people of Cianjur,” he said. As reported, the West Java Provincial Government provides a monthly wage of Rp2 million to farmers at the foot of Mount Gede Pangrango in Cianjur Regency, who have shifted from slash-and-burn farming to planting trees for a natural conservation programme to prevent disasters.