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.