State-owned Perhutani blamed for Garut tragedy
State-owned Perhutani blamed for Garut tragedy
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java
West Java Governor R. Nuriana is to ask state-owned forestry
company Perhutani to take responsibility for the environmental
degradation on Mount Mandalawangi in Garut, West Java, which he
said caused the landslides on Wednesday that claimed at least 22
lives.
He said he had delivered a letter on Thursday to the chief of
Perhutani Unit III managing forests in the province to demand
accountability for the condition of the forested mountain areas.
"We will ask Perhutani why it has done nothing to reforest the
barren areas," he said.
Asked what actions would be taken against the state company,
Nuriana said he would not act until the company's management gave
an objective explanation about the incident.
"I want to hear the company's explanation before determining
what actions we will take against the company," he said after
meeting with Garut regent Dede Satibi here on Thursday.
The landslides occurred as residents were sleeping early on
Thursday after incessant rain, causing rocks and mud to sweep
through hundreds of houses in two villages in Kadungora district,
Garut regency.
Four more bodies were recovered on Thursday, bringing the
death toll to 22. All the bodies were buried on Wednesday and
Thursday. The search will continue on Friday for dozens of others
who are believed to be buried in the mud and debris.
Priangan Police chief Sr. Comr. Tjetjep Lukman said it was
difficult to bring in excavators for the search and rescue
operation, because the villages were located in an elevated area.
Local district official, Widianingsih, said the landslide was
caused by unusually heavy rain in the area but that deforestation
could have been a factor.
"The area is not really deforested, but it is true that
residents have resorted to cutting down trees because it is
difficult to find jobs nowadays," she said.
Residents of Mount Mandalawangi admitted that they have long
feared that their villages would be hit by landslides as a result
of deforestation.
Rachmat Sudjana, secretary of the Garut district
administration, claimed that authorities had already warned the
villagers of possible landslides.
The residents, however, refused to leave the area because they
have been living there for a long time, he added.
The chairman of the West Java provincial legislature attacked
Perhutani for its inability to manage the environment in the
regency leading to the landslides that occurred on Wednesday
night.
A staff member of Perhutani in Garut who requested anonymity
refused to be blamed for the tragedy, saying the local people
should be blamed for it.
He said his office had warned the locals many times against
cutting down trees on the mountain because it was quite prone to
flooding and landslides.
"But the local people defied the warning and even, with the
backing of local officials, villagers have started to farm on the
mountain's slopes," he said.