Sukabumi – Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds triggered landslides at four points in Sukabumi. This was stated by the Head of the Sukabumi City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Novian Rahmat.
“The landslide disaster occurred in three sub-districts. Until now, the Sukabumi City BPBD disaster response team is still conducting assessments at the scene,” he said as quoted by Antara, Wednesday (4/12/2024).
Novian then detailed the areas affected by the landslide in Sukabumi, namely in the Kampung Baru area, RT 02/09, Cikondang Village and RT 07/04, Citamiang Village/ District. Then the landslide occurred in RT 03/08 Subangjaya Village, Cikole District and in Kampung Tegallega Kidul, RT 03/17, Lembursitu Village/ District.
For the landslide disaster that occurred in RT 03, Subangjaya Village, it was the second time, with the first incident happening on November 5, 2024, due to the unstable soil conditions. Meanwhile, the bamboo forest landslide that occurred in Kampung Tegallega Kidul caused the water channel to be blocked.
Until now, the disaster response team is still at the location to conduct data collection and evacuate the landslide material that blocks the residents’ access roads. Then, the extent of the damage is still being assessed, but it is confirmed that there are no casualties or injuries.
“This landslide was triggered by heavy rain that fell almost all day since early December, causing the soil condition to become unstable and unable to bear the load on top of it,” he added.
Novian said that extreme weather not only triggered landslides but also caused the roof of a house in Kampung Cikundulhilir, RT 01/04, Kelurahan Cikundul, Kecamatan Lembursitu to collapse, which was suspected to be unable to withstand the heavy rain.
Sukabumi-Palabuhanratu Road Access Cut Off
The landslide also caused the national road access from Sukabumi to Palabuhanratu to be blocked by landslide debris. Bantargadung Subdistrict Disaster Response Officer (P2BK) Sihabudin in Sukabumi, Wednesday (4/12/2024) said that heavy rain that fell from Tuesday (3/12/2024) until Wednesday morning caused a landslide of a soil embankment approximately five meters high located on the national road Sukabumi-Palabuhanratu, specifically on Jalan Raya Bojonggaling.
“The landslide blocked access from Sukabumi to Palabuhanratu and vice versa,” he said.
According to Sihabudin, the landslide is estimated to have occurred on Wednesday around 02:00 WIB when heavy rain poured over the Bantargadung District and its surroundings. As a result of the incident, traffic flow from both directions had not returned to normal by 09:00 WIB.
Joint officers from the TNI, Polri, and the Sukabumi Regency Government are already at the location to assist in evacuating the landslide material that has blocked vehicle access. Until now, only one direction can be traversed by vehicles to anticipate vehicle congestion from either Sukabumi or Palabuhanratu. The Traffic Unit personnel of Sukabumi Police are implementing a stop-and-go traffic system.
To expedite the evacuation of the landslide material, they have coordinated with the Sukabumi District Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and related agencies to send heavy equipment such as backhoes.
“The joint officers are still working to normalize the main road access connecting Sukabumi with Palabuhanratu, and it is hoped that all the landslide debris blocking the road can be evacuated soon so that traffic can return to normal,” he said.
Sihab said that besides the landslide disaster that blocked the national road access, extreme weather also triggered similar disasters in Cijambe Village and fallen trees in Linggaresmi Village, Bantargadung Village. However, there is no information regarding casualties or injuries resulting from the disaster.
Residents are urged to remain vigilant as heavy rain accompanied by strong winds or extreme weather is still likely to hit the Sukabumi City area in the coming days according to the weather forecast from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency. (BMKG).
Heavy rain also has the potential to trigger hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides, land movement, and strong winds or tornadoes. To minimize the impact of the disaster, they have deployed dozens of disaster response personnel and coordinated with other agencies, including elements from the military, police, Sukabumi City government, humanitarian organizations, and other communities.
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