Landslide bylaw to be issued

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Kuningan, West Java

The Kuningan regental administration will soon issue a bylaw that will prohibit local residents from building permanent houses in several landslide-prone areas.

The policy aims to protect residents from the dangers of landslides, which occur nearly every year.

"The legislative council has given its approval. The bylaw will restrict residents from building permanent houses in landslide-prone areas such as at the foot of a hill or on the slopes of a mountain," said Aang Hamid Suganda, the regent of Kuningan, on Thursday.

Aang said that the bylaw was important and had to be immediately issued, as many areas in Kuningan were prone to landslides.

Moreover, precious lessons have taught that landslides can be fatal.

Several days ago, at least three roads connecting several villages in Selajambe, Subang and Darma subdistricts were cut off due to a landslide. The landslide also damaged dozens of houses in the area, but no fatalities were reported.

The worst landslide tragedy to date hit Cantilan village, Selajambe subdistrict in Kuningan regency on Jan. 31 last year, in which 10 people died and one was seriously injured. It also destroyed four houses.

The regent asked the heads of subdistricts in Kuningan to adopt precautionary measures, namely to immediately evacuate local residents when heavy rain occurs in landslide-prone areas.

Meanwhile, speaker of the Kuningan Legislative Council, Ading Ahyadi, said the council would approve the government proposal to issue the bylaw.

A bylaw can be proposed either by the government or local council. After it is proposed, both sides will discuss it and finally sign it into law.