47 sub-districts in Sukabumi prone to landslides

Sukabumi (Antaranews Bogor) - All the 47 sub-districts of the Sukabumi District, in the West Java province, are susceptible to landslides, according to the results of mapping revealed by the Sukabumi disaster mitigation board (BPBD).

"Sukabumi is prone to landslides throughout the year due to unstable soil and mountainous terrains," BPBD official Irwan Fajar noted here on Friday.

According to Irwan, some of the sub-districts such as Cibadak and Gegerbitung have high avalanche potentials. On last Saturday (Jan. 11) a landslide triggered by torrential rains damaged three houses in Sukabumi.

The landslide caused serious damage to the two houses and ruined the electrical wiring of one of the houses, Acting Head of the BPBD Hendra Resmandra noted, adding that no fatalities were reported as a result of the landslide.

The heavy rains caused a 15-meter high hill located behind three houses to slide onto them, he noted. He pointed out that the landslide victims, whose houses were seriously damaged in the disaster, have been evacuated to their neighbors` and relatives` homes.

The BPBD officers continued to be on standby in the area, as incessant heavy rains lashed all the sub-districts in the city, Hendra remarked.

 "We have distributed emergency aid, including dining utensils, beds, and instant food to the victims," he explained. Hendra forecast that the losses caused due to the landslide will reach hundreds of millions of rupiah.

Given the unfavorable weather conditions over the past few days, he called on the local residents to stay on alert for landslides, floods, and whirlwinds.
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Reporting Aditya A Rohman
Edited by Ine