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Disaster Alert Active As Flash Flood Hits West Bandung, Exposing Tourist Area Vulnerabilities
The flood took place in a district (Cililin) that had been preemptively listed as disaster-prone, with local authorities already on 24-hour standby due to hundreds of recorded disasters in the regency throughout the year.
Bandung, West Java — A flash flood that submerged a tourism area in West Bandung this week has starkly illustrated the realities of operating in a region under official disaster alert. The local government of West Bandung Regency had declared a state of hydrometeorological disaster emergency alert in late October 2025, covering 11 of its 16 districts. Cililin, the district where the Lembah Curugan Gunung Putri site is located, was explicitly named among these vulnerable areas. The flood on December 4, 2025, demonstrated the precarity of this status, as heavy rain caused the Cibitung River to overflow and inundate the valley.
The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) was able to respond promptly, having been placed on 24-hour standby as part of the emergency protocol. Agency head Asep Sehabudin confirmed the flooding was due to the overflow of the Cibitung and Ciputri rivers and that teams were deployed to the location for assessment and initial handling. Their initial confirmation that no casualties resulted from the event is a testament to the site's distance from residential areas and the effectiveness of immediate monitoring.
However, the material damage was considerable. The tourist site, positioned directly on the riverbank, was flooded, damaging facilities and halting business. The manager reported the loss of 20 tons of farmed fish and a total suspension of tourism and culinary operations. Adjacent agricultural land, roughly five hectares of rice fields worked by local residents, was also swamped.
The emergency alert status was not declared without cause. Official BPBD data for West Bandung presents a grim tally for 2025: 299 disaster events, including 19 floods or flash floods and 101 landslides. These disasters have damaged 491 homes, several schools, roads, and bridges, directly affecting over 2,200 residents and resulting in casualties. The alert status is designed to streamline and accelerate the government's response to such frequent events.
Beyond the immediate flood response, authorities faced a secondary crisis: isolation. A landslide accompanying the heavy rains buried a section of road connecting two villages, severing access for hundreds of residents in Desa Nanggerang. This cut off communities from basic services, forcing the government to prioritize the creation of a temporary emergency road for motorcycles while planning a more permanent repair.
In light of these chronic risks, there have been proactive efforts to bolster preparedness, particularly in the tourism sector. The West Bandung Tourism and Culture Office has been actively intensifying disaster mitigation measures, coordinating with tourism managers to ensure emergency procedures and evacuation routes are in place, especially for outdoor destinations.
For visitors and tourism operators, the event is a powerful reminder of the inherent risks during Indonesia's rainy season, especially in topographically diverse regions like West Bandung. The local BPBD continues to urge communities and tourists to maintain high vigilance, as weather patterns remain unstable and the potential for further landslides or flooding is persistent.
The flooding of Lembah Curugan, while a specific incident, is a symptom of the broader environmental and climatic challenges facing West Java. It underscores the critical importance of heeding official disaster warnings, the value of prepared local institutions, and the ongoing need for investment in both environmental conservation and disaster-resilient infrastructure.
(Dadvar Nasir)
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