After decades of living with the Citarum River flooding, people in community unit (RW) 013 in Andir sub-district, Baleendah district, Bandung regency, West Java, are beginning to implement adaptive measures. They are now more caring toward one another in the face of disaster. However, moves by the government to support local flood prevention initiatives are keenly awaited.
The expression of Bambang Supriyanto, 52, grew tense all of a sudden. He had just read a short text message on his cell phone that brought news of a 30-centimeter flood in Majalaya, Bandung regency.
Heavy rain earlier in the day had caused the Citarum River to overflow in Majalaya, some 17 kilometers from Bambang’s home in RW 013, Andir sub-district. Both Majalaya and Andir are located in the watershed area of the Citarum River.
“Andir is situated at a lower altitude than Majalaya. Even if we don’t have heavy rain in Andir, we are still prone to flooding if there is heavy rain in Majalaya. If it rains heavily in Majalaya for a long period of time, usually our homes will be inundated within three hours,” said Bambang, who serves as the head of security in RW 013, Andir sub-district, on Thursday (9/2).
Before long, Bambang had left his house and walked through the drizzle in his neighborhood. Through the labyrinthine alleyways, he approached a culvert connected to Citarum River. He observed the water level, which had started to rise but had yet to overflow.
“It’s still safe now. The water is not high yet. If the culvert overflows, I will tell everyone to get ready for flooding,” said Bambang, who also works as a security officer at a textile factory in Bandung city.
Andir is among the flood-prone areas in Bandung regency. The area is inundated by water overflowing from the Citarum River almost every rainy season. Local flooding has been reported many times. In March 2016, for instance, inundation in the area reached 2 meters deep, forcing 7,500 people to evacuate.
Bambang said that the locals were becoming better prepared for floods nowadays. Previously, floods had always swept away personal belongings and created widespread life-threatening panic. Nowadays, with a locally designed early warning system in place, the local people could better face the threat of flooding.
The locals have also initiated building a second story on their homes. This is not for style but for emergency purposes during floods. With a second story, the houses can reach 6-8 meters in height, some three or four times higher than the floods.
Together with other local people, Bambang is on the search-and-rescue volunteer team that has increased flood awareness. Through a simple monitoring-and-report system in collaboration with people living in Citarum’s upstream region, they stand on the frontline of the early warning system when the Citarum River overflows. Once the information is spread, people are prepared to move themselves to the second story of their homes.
Apart from functioning as a shelter during floods, Bambang said that the second story of local homes also functioned as a storage area for personal valuables. If the floods were not too high, the people did not need to leave their homes as the second story could serve as a temporary bedroom and kitchen.
“However, we keep recommending that it would be better for people to take shelter elsewhere to prevent bad things, like being electrocuted by stray cables,” Bambang said.
Aid management
“Our flood awareness efforts have also touched the hearts of many donors. Currently we self-manage 24 boats that are used as alternative transportation during flooding. We would like to be good examples for people living in other flood-prone regions,” Bambang said.
The latest local innovation they would like to inspire others is the establishment of a food kitchen, despite there being limited land and infrastructure.
The locals in RW 013 Andir utilize a neighborhood security post as a food kitchen. Previously, they depended on a food kitchen in the Baleendah district office some 5 kilometers away.
Bambang said that the location for the security post was well-planned. It was constructed on ground higher than the surrounding areas. As a result, the post had never been inundated, even when the flooding reached 2 meters deep.
“The post was built in 2015. At first, it was only used for the neighborhood watch. Since last year, though, we have begun to use it for a food kitchen for the flood evacuees. When they are hungry, they don’t need to go far to find food,” Bambang said.
Situated on a 100-square meter plot of land belonging to resident Ade Sutisna, 60, the security post measures 3-by-2 meters. The locals collected Rp 2 million (US$149.19) to build the post by themselves.
“My family gave permission to the local people to build the security post there. It’s for the greater good,” said Sulastri, 35, Ade Sutisna’s daughter and a teacher at SMAN 1 public high school in Ciparay, Bandung.
Refusing to be complacent, the residents of RW 013 are now preparing bigger plans. After successfully completing the food kitchen, they are now building a mosque. The groundbreaking took place on Feb. 5.
The mosque will be built on a 238-sq.m. plot of land for a total cost of around Rp 640 million. So far, the locals have collected Rp 25 million among themselves to be used for the first stage of construction.
“The mosque will be named Al Attam, which means perfection. Our hope is that it can be a house of Allah and a place to take shelter during floods,” Bambang said.
The plan is for the mosque to have two stories. The lower floor will be used for prayers and the upper floor for gatherings and to house evacuees and store logistics during floods.
“The locals are hoping that we can finish the mosque within one year. However, it will all depend on how fast we can collect the money. The mosque is important as an anticipatory measure against flooding, just in case the owners decided to use the land where the security post is,” said the mosque’s welfare council head Asep Kuswara, 47.
Amid all their limitations, the locals in Andir have decided to stay put despite the threat of flooding. Their creativity and strong will have saved them thus far. However, flash floods can hit them at any moment. The government must immediately restore Citarum’s damaged upstream area and apply a better waste management system.
