Disaster Awareness in Hazardous Lands

TATANG MULYANA SINAGA & FABIO LOPES COSTA

· 5 minutes read

Birds were chirping on Wednesday (5/1/2019) as Tarmin, 51, walked to his farm in Cireundeu hamlet, Cimahi, West Java. He was taking an uphill road and the wind was blowing gently.Cireundeu hamlet is located in a valley. The villagers live and work on plantations in the surrounding hills.

The cassava farms are terraced on the slopes. There, the people also cultivate perennial crops like sengon (Indonesian albizia, Paraserianthes falcataria), candlenut, avocado, jackfruit and rambutan. Many trees are planted at the edges of the slopes using cultivation techniques passed down through generations.

“It has always been like this. We have always set aside land for trees to prevent landslides,” said Tarmin, who has planted cassava on a 2,800-square-meter plot. Cassava is a staple food in Cireundeu.

Other than direct consumption, cassava is also processed into rice, crackers, tapioca, and tape (fermented cassava). These processed delicacies are popular among visitors.

Tarmin earns Rp 2 million (US$140.42) per harvest, which comes every three months. This is enough to pay for his children’s education through college.

In the hamlet, the residents are allowed to chop down trees. Trees aged five to six years are chopped down but their stumps are left in the ground to prevent landslides.

Sengon trees are often chopped down, as they do not die afterwards. A new tree will grow from the stump.

“The roots help hold the soil and water. As for jackfruit, avocado and rambutan trees, we only harvest the fruit,” said Tarmin.

Tarmin said he could earn a much larger income if he cultivated only cassava on his farm. However, he has chosen to live on an adequate income rather than an abundant income, so that he does not have to worry about landslides.

Cireundeu hamlet is located in Leuwigajah subdistrict of South Cimahi district, some 14 kilometers from downtown Bandung.

Swaths of banana plantations in the foothills are seen from Tarmin’s farm. The plantation was the site of a landslide from the Leuwigajah landfill in February 2005. Some 150 people died in the incident.

This year has seen many hydrometeorological disasters, including in Cimahi. On April 26, a landslide occurred on a 30-meter-tall cliff in Citeureup subdistrict, North Cimahi, killing two.

Data at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) shows that 1,586 disasters occurred between January and April 2019, of which 98 percent were floods, flash floods, landslides and twisters. The rest were geological disasters.

Zoning

The increased frequency of disasters has made Tarmin more watchful. He observes the conditions of the cliffs surrounding his farm on every visit.

He does not chop down trees haphazardly, especially during the rainy season. Only dead trees are cut down for firewood.

Like many customary hamlets in West Java, the Cireundeu administration has divided its land into three zones: leuweung larangan (restricted forest), leuweung tutupan (reforestation area) and leuweung baladahan (agricultural land).

Cireundeu elder Emen Sunarya, 83, said that the three zones preserved the natural balance. Leuweung larangan provides a source of water and it is forbidden to cut down trees in the zone, which is located on Salam Peak.

The trees in leuweung tutupan must also be preserved. The trees can be harvested, but new trees must be planted to replace them. Meanwhile, leuweung baladahan is for growing crops.

The Cireundeu customary settlement comprises 60 households.

The hamlet’s farms do not directly border residences. Instead, there is a gap of around 200 meters for cattle pens and trees.

This is to anticipate landslides. “Large landslides have never heppened, but we still have to anticipate them,” said Emen.

He said that the zoning protected the hamlet from unwanted incidents. The people were required to adhere to these rules. “This is how we be stay friends with nature. Other than humans, other creatures live here. Human beings cannot act arbitrarily,” he said.The people of Cireundeu follow the Sunda Wiwitan traditional belief system. Since 1924, the people have consumed cassava as staple food. The majority do not eat rice.

Consuming cassava helps sustain the environment. Cassava farms do not need to be flooded like rice fields, which can trigger landslides on the slopes.

“Perhaps our ancestors considered this. Living among the slopes requires proper cultivation techniques,” said Emen.

Today, the peace in Cireundeu hamlet is disrupted. Mudflows entered the hamlet in February. A modern housing complex now stands above the hamlet.

Local wisdom

Sumaryono, the head of western region soil movement mitigation at the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM), said that local wisdom could increase disaster awareness in communities. Customary rules must be preserved to ensure harmony with nature.

“Almost every place possesses local wisdom to anticipate disasters. However, sometimes people are pressured by economic needs,” he said.

In Cireundeu hamlet, the people uphold their ancestral philosophy. The people must be empowered to fulfill their needs without exploiting nature.

They can be trained in disaster awareness. Yongsu Desoyo hamlet in Ravenirara district, Jayapura, Papua, is one example. The hamlet’s population of 348 in 90 households survived a flash flood on March 16, 2019.

Yongsu Desoyo head Markus ordered everyone to head to a hilltop church the night before the flash flood struck. The order was given after several youths, who had taken part in the Jayapura Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BPBD) disaster mitigation training, recognized the signs of impending disaster at the Yongsu River.

The flood from the Cycloop Mountains killed 106 people in four Jayapura districts. A further 17 were declared missing and thousands fled their homes.

Extreme weather anomalies have always occurred, and always will. As long as human beings learn how to protect themselves and the environment, disaster risks can be avoided.

Editor:

kompascetak