He noted that the similar natural characteristics of West Java and Sumatra serve as a warning for all stakeholders to take environmental protection more seriously.
“Today, the West Java provincial government, the Siliwangi III Military Command, the West Java Police, plantation stakeholders, and Perhutani share a commitment to conservation. We are learning from disasters in Sumatra because the conditions are very similar to those in West Java,” Mulyadi said in Pangalengan on Tuesday.
He further explained that the flooding that has occurred in Bandung in recent weeks shows a different pattern compared with floods in previous years.
Mulyadi emphasized the importance of preserving mountain slopes to prevent more severe flooding and landslides in the Greater Bandung area.
“We do not want this to happen. The warning signs are already there, and flooding in Bandung has become somewhat different. One of the causes is deforested slopes,” he said.
On the same occasion, Mulyadi also called on residents who currently cultivate vegetable crops on mountain slopes to shift to planting perennial trees as part of conservation efforts.
He stressed that the government would provide wages to farmers to ensure the transition does not deprive them of their livelihoods.
“Residents who have been working as vegetable laborers—digging, carrying, and farming—will be employed to plant trees or other perennial crops,” he said.
The conservation measures, he added, are expected to help prevent flooding while also supporting economic recovery in West Java.
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Translator: Ilham, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Arie Novarina
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