Reduced catchment area blamed for Bandung flood

Reduced catchment area blamed for Bandung flood

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

An environmental expert blamed the very large number of buildings
in North Bandung and the poor drainage system in the city for the
current flood in South Bandung.

"Several studies we have conducted indicate that the floods
that have hit South Bandung over the last five years, have a lot
to do with the increasing number of buildings in North Bandung
and the poor drainage system in the city," Asis Djajadiningrat,
an environmentalist from the Bandung Institute of technology,
told The Jakarta Post here on Saturday.

Asis did not mention the precise number of structures in the
city but said that according to remote sensing images, the number
of buildings in the city was no longer in proportion with the
city's size.

He said that on the one hand, the city administration was not
strict in enforcing the bylaw on spatial zoning while residents,
on the other hand, had constructed buildings in green or
catchment areas.

He explained that Bandung looked like "a giant crater" which
would be inundated by flood waters if it had no catchment areas
to intercept heavy rains.

He said that over the last few years, many forest areas around
the city had been converted into housing areas so there was
inadequate land surface to absorb heavy rainfall.

He said Bandung was different to cities located in coastal
areas since they had the sea which helped prevent flooding.

Asis said the city administration should repair the drainage
system in the city and dredge all rivers that pass through the
city to prevent landslides and floods from occurring in the
future.

"Bandung must invest in improving environmental management to
make the city free from landslides and floods in the future," he
said.

On Saturday, several subdistricts in South Bandung were still
inundated following a flood that hit the area last Monday.
Residents who had been evacuated to safer areas were not allowed
to return home due to concerns that there may be heavy rainfall
next week.

The worst hit areas were Baleendah and Dayeuhkolot
subdistricts.

Dozens of flood victims in the subdistricts are suffering from
diarrhea and skin infections because of using groundwater
contaminated by hazardous waste dumped by textile factories in
the area.

Meanwhile, a landslide destroyed 16 houses in Batujajar
regency early on Saturday following heavy rains on Thursday and
Friday. No casualties were reported in the disaster.