West Bandung Residents Protest Unlicensed Heavy Equipment Levelling Mount Pasrean Slopes, Fear Landslides

Residents of Kampung Cilutung, Singajaya Village, Cihampelas District, West Bandung Regency, West Java, are growing increasingly anxious over the levelling of Mount Pasarean’s slopes. The heavy machinery activity is feared to potentially trigger landslides that could threaten nearby settlements and educational facilities. The land levelling on the slope went viral on social media. Based on observations at the location, the slope area, spanning more than 500 square metres, is situated close to residential areas. An excavator was seen carrying out cut and fill work to create an access road and stepped terracing in the upstream area. Meanwhile, hundreds of residents’ homes are located directly below the project site. ‘The location is above the village. Below it there are many residents’ houses, and the closest buildings are a Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (Islamic primary school) and a place of worship. We are worried that heavy rain will cause a landslide,’ said Ade Komarudin (55), a local resident, on Friday (3/7/2026). He hopes the government will immediately intervene to evaluate the ongoing activity, including reviewing its permits. He stressed that from the beginning, residents did not agree with the activity. ‘I hope the government reconsiders the permit for this project. Do not wait until a disaster happens to act,’ he said. A similar sentiment was expressed by Asep (35), another resident. He admitted he had received information that the land clearing was intended for agricultural land development. However, according to him, the use of heavy equipment to open up the area on a large scale raises questions within the community. ‘They say it is for agricultural land, but we are puzzled as to why they have to cut into the hill using heavy equipment and clear an area this large,’ he said.