KDM: Bogor spatial planning damage poses serious threat to downstream areas including Jakarta

Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) has warned that the damage to spatial planning in the Bogor region has now become a serious threat to downstream areas, including Jakarta, Bekasi, and Karawang.

Dedi stressed that the massive change in land function in the water catchment and hilly areas of Bogor is the main trigger for the increasing frequency of flood and landslide disasters, whose impacts extend beyond the administrative boundaries of the district.

“Bogor is not just for the people of Bogor. Bogor protects Bekasi, Karawang, and even Jakarta,” said Dedi Mulyadi in a statement in Bandung on Wednesday.

He specifically highlighted the Sukamakmur area, which is now experiencing a shift in land function from hills to settlements.

“I fully understand the various problems of environmental damage in Bogor Regency. Many floods and landslides are caused by changes in spatial planning,” he said.

Dedi explained that green land, which should serve as a fortress against disasters, has largely disappeared.

As a solution, he stated that the West Java Provincial Government is committed to conducting an audit and restoring spatial functions to recover environmental balance in the capital’s buffer region.

“We are striving to restore Bogor’s spatial planning so that mountains, river flows, and lakes remain protected, preventing disasters from occurring every time,” he said.

Concluding his statement, Dedi called on all stakeholders to stop the exploitation of nature in Bogor for the safety of millions of residents in the downstream areas.

“If we want Bogor, Bekasi, Karawang, and Jakarta to be free from disasters, let us protect Bogor so that it does not become just a centre of exploitation, but continues to preserve its natural pristine beauty,” Dedi remarked.