To Stay or Move: Just as Difficult

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The house of Asep Suratman, 45, stands partially buried in mudflow and tree debris on March 11, 2017 in Kampung Jati Radio of Cililin village in Cililin district, West Bandung regency, West Java. A landslide damaged two houses and injured two people when it struck the kampung around 8:30 p.m. on March 10, leaving residents traumatized and worried about the possibility of another landslide.

Survivors are often left traumatized by disasters. Without knowledge or guidance, they are left to survive despite the dangers that continue to threaten them indefinitely.

Asep Suratmin is still traumatized. The 57-year-old resident of Kampung Jati Radio in Cililin village, West Bandung regency, West Java, almost died two years ago, when he was buried beneath a landslide that descended from Mount Geger Pulus. He was at death’s door for two hours, but was rescued by local residents.

It is not easy for him to move on. Asep admitted during an interview on Monday, May 6, 2019 that he and his family were afraid that other disasters could strike. He lived in a rental house for three months with his wife, Imas Rohimah, 47, and his two children before they started running out of money and finally returned to their house.

Imas is experiencing the same thing. She is clearly carrying frightening memories, and is easily alarmed by heavy rain – as is Asep, who is not at home every day.

Asep sells combs in the city of Bandung. He returns home every three days and makes a monthly income of Rp 2.5 million. Imas has no fixed income, and their combined income is not enough to buy a new house.

A fresh wind of change once arrived, and they welcomed news about relocation plans. However, their hope did not match the reality. They waited for the plans to materialize, but then came the landslide on Saturday, April 27. A 4-meter-high retaining wall in Jati Radio collapsed during the storm.

It is not just Imas who is worried. Toto Hendriyanto, 43, another Jati Radio resident, also feels haunted. The landslide occurred only 3 meters from his house.

Toto, his wife and three children also shared the experience of Asep’s family. The material and debris left from the landslide has been covered with tarp to reduce soil erosion and minimize secondary landslides. "Where should we live? It\'s easy to say we must move because this place is prone to landslides. But where will the money come from?" said Toto.

During the landslide three years ago, Toto and his family evacuated to a safer area. Although the disaster had spared his house, secondary landslides threatened the village.

Since then, Toto has planned to see his house and move. However, he only received an offer of Rp 45 million, when his house was worth Rp 200 million. His family’s hopes for a new start were dashed.

Toto works at a cooperative and earns Rp 1.2 million per month. His wife works at an electronics shop and earns a salary of Rp 2.4 million. Their combined income also covers their eldest child’s tuition fees.

Jati Radio’s residents are not the only ones living in fear. Many residents of Andir in Baleendah district, Bandung regency, have long been planning to move. They are tired of being flooded by the overflowing Citarum River.

Adik, 43, a resident of Andir, is pessimistic that he can continue to rely on the second floor of his house to save him. Floods of more than 1 meter high frequently inundate his house, which is only 100 meters from the Citarum. The house’s foundation has grown porous from the continuous barrage of the strong overflow from the river.

"Without money, what can we do? We’re forced to stay here," said Adik. He has put up his house for sale, but none have expressed any interest, so Adik is ready to be relocated.

However, relocation is no easy matter in West Java. Surono, the former head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM), said that it was not easy to find land for relocating residents from landslide hazard areas in West Java, as nearly the entire region was prone to land movement. Relocating survivors to areas far from their livelihoods was also an obstacle.

The residents who survived the landslide in Cimapag hamlet of Sirnaresmi village, Sukabumi regency, West Java, are facing an uncertain future because they have been separated from their livelihoods.

Kompas

Local residents look at the damage left by a landslide that struck Kampung Nagrog of Mukapayung village in Cililin district, West Bandung regency, West Java. Residents continued to visit disaster-hit areas despite the dangerous conditions as operations continued on March 26, 2013 to find and recover buried victims.

Staying at 23 temporary shelters built from government funds, donations and some of the residents\' own money, they are confused about finding work. About 2 hectares of rice fields cannot be cultivated because the landslide damaged the irrigation system. Their lives depend on the rice fields.

"They have not been able to resume their previous activities. The rice fields and farmlands cannot be cultivated yet," said Cimapag village chief Lili Amaludin.

Landslide risks

Dark clouds again formed over Jati Radio on Monday afternoon. Ahmad, 44, was growing worried. His house is located less than 10 meters from site of the 2017 landslide, at the foot of Mt. Geger Pulus. Although it has been reinforced with a concrete retaining wall, he was still worried that another landslide would occur.

Ahmad was also becoming increasingly worried because he did not know the landslide evacuation route. The highway is more than 150 meters from his house, and he must climb over several hills to reach it. "If there is another disaster, I can only give up," he said.

Cililin village secretary Asep Muhtadin said various measures had been made to protect the residents from the threat of disaster, including a relocation site in the village’s Kampung Pasir Meong. However, it had not received government approval.

It has also cooperated with the Social Affairs Ministry to establish a disaster alert village (KSB) team. One of the most vulnerable areas is located in Neighborhood Unit 012 (RW 012) of Kampung Jati Radio, where disaster preparedness equipment was installed at SMA Mitra Dharma senior high school.

The device, which was installed six months ago, can at least maintain better vigilance among residents during heavy rains. The device sounds every day at 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to indicate that it is an active. If its sounds an alert signal, the residents will temporarily evacuate the area.

KOMPAS/BENEDIKTUS KRISNA YOGATAMA

Residents of Community Unit 02/Neighborhood Unit 12 (RT 02/RW 12) in Kampung Jati Radio walk around toppled trees and collapsed houses on March 11, 2019 in Cililin village, Cililin district, West Bandung regency, West Java. A landslide struck the area at around 7:30 p.m. the previous day, injuring two people and damaging two houses.

However, it was feared that the device was not performing maximally. Asep said that Cililin village had only 50 KSB officers who had received only one training session on disaster evacuation. The residents had never received any training.

Disaster is right on their doorstep, but the residents can neither move nor stay. (CORNELIUS HELMY)