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.