VP instructs DAS flood-prevention project immediately started

Jakarta-wapresri.go.id. When leading a meeting on the reforestation of River Basin Areas (DAS) of West Java province and West Nusa Tenggara province on Thursday morning (March 16), at the Office of the Vice President in Jalan Merdeka Utara, Jakarta, Vice President Jusuf Kalla instructed the DAS revitalization project to be implemented immediately to prevent the recurrence of flooding in both areas.

“This is a must! This is an emergency condition and thus we must take immediate actions,” the Vice President affirmed.

The Vice President also asked to involve the community in the revitalization project, as it was done in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta.

He further said, to solve a certain problem, the root causes should be tackled in advance. This, he added, is the same step taken when he dealt with various conflicts in Indonesia in the past.

“Similar to the handling of conflict in Poso, the quickest way I did at the time was making every efforts to create peace. When it is peaceful, I believe people will return to their villages and find their living peaceably. This indeed solved the problem. The cost needed was also very cheap, approximately not more than five billion rupiahs. Similar to this flood problem, we have to first of all solve the root causes,” said the Vice President.

Earlier, in her report Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya reported, her ministry has coordinated with relevant parties to take technical steps necessary.

“For the reforestation of DAS in West Nusa Tenggara, our Director General for DAS Control and Protected Forests (PDASHL) has been coordinating with the Mayor and Regent of Bima on January 5, 2017, in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara. As for the reforestation of DAS in West Java, he has also coordinated with the Governor of West Java, Bandung Regent, West Bandung Regent, and Garut Regent, on January 11, 2017 in Bandung, West Java,” the minister said.

Relating to the Forest and Land Rehabilitation (RHL), Siti explained, several schemes have been devised which include planning (dissemination, preconditions, and drafting), implementation (seedlings, planting and maintenance), supervision (mentoring and technical assistance), as well as evaluation, monitoring, and assessment.

Also attending the meeting were National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chairman Willem Rampangilei, Deputy Minister of Finance Mardiasmo, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, and Vice Governor of West Nusa Tenggara Muhammad Amin.