A destructive flash flood hit Puncak Bogor, Indonesia, in early March 2025. This disaster struck suddenly, almost without warning. Moreover, the deadly flash flood in Puncak Bogor inundated many villages and caused hundreds of people to vacate their homes.
In the last few years, floods have hit this famous tourist destination more frequently and intensely than before. However, the region does not have an excellent early flood warning system. Therefore, flood mitigation in this area is not effective.
A Report on the Deadly Flash Flood in Puncak Bogor
Sunday night, 2 March 2025, a flash flood hit many villages along the Ciliwung River in Puncak Bogor. This flash flood was the most destructive in the last several years. What are the causes and impacts of this hazard?
The Impacts of Bogor Flood
That Sunday, Puncak Bogor experienced intense heavy rains accompanied by strong winds. Due to this extreme weather, the Ciliwung River overflowed and inundated many villages. This hazard also triggered other natural disasters.
Authorities reported that 28 villages suffered from those hazards. However, most of them experienced inundation with different water levels. In some areas, the floodwater level reached 2.5 meters.
According to the report, the deadly flash flood in Puncak Bogor affected almost 1,000 people or 260 families. In addition, about 300 people must vacate their homes and live in a refugee camp or their relatives’ houses. Authorities also reported one person was missing.
Moreover, the flood caused severe infrastructural damage. The floodwater inundated more than 257 houses and some were fully submerged. Furthermore, this flood destroyed 8 bridges and caused fallen power poles, causing transportation problems for residents.
This deadly flash flood also triggered landslides in several locations. One of them is on the side of the Raya Puncak Street. However, this condition did not affect the traffic on this road.
The Causes of Puncak Bogor Flash Flood
Heavy rains indeed can cause flash floods and landslides. However, Puncak Bogor is a mountainous region. Therefore, this area should have a low flood risk. Only areas with bad drainage, located in a basin, or along the river have higher flood risks.
Hence, a dangerous flash flood is not a common disaster in Puncak Bogor. Why do deadly flash floods hit this region?
Extreme Weather: Climate change has caused Puncak Bogor to experience extreme weather, such as intense heavy rains, more frequently. Consequently, the drainage and soil in this area cannot absorb rainwater and it overflows villages.
Environmental Damage: Heavy rains won’t cause deathly flash floods in Bogor if the environment is in good condition. Unfortunately, the tourism industry and urbanization in this region have damaged the environment. Consequently, Bogor’s flood risks increase.
Land Use Change: In the last eight years, around 310 hectares of forest in Bogor have been converted to plantations and villas. Consequently, this region loses its rainwater absorption capacity. Therefore, rainwater runs freely and inundates this area.
3. Disaster Responses
The local government and BNPB worked as an emergency response team to repair damaged infrastructure and distribute logistics. A day after the deadly flash flood in Bogor, this team decided to construct 2 Bailey bridges to replace 2 of the 8 damaged bridges.
In addition, the government announced plans to minimize flash flood risks and landslides. These plans restrict building permits and regulate illegal villas in water catchment zones. Moreover, local authorities will plant 10,000 trees in critical areas.
How to Improve Early Warning System for Flood Mitigation
Flash floods are dangerous because they happen quickly and have a powerful force. Therefore, people often get panicked when flash floods occur. In some cases, this panic response can cause them to suffer from unwanted conditions.
Therefore, the governments of Indonesia and other countries must improve their flood early warning system to mitigate this disaster successfully. They can improve this system by integrating cell broadcast alerts into the EWS.
This alert is more resilient and effective in alerting residents about the incoming dangerous flash flood. A cell broadcast can disseminate a flood alert to thousands of cellphone users within seconds. Consequently, residents have time to save themselves and valuable belongings.
Consequently, governments and their people can work together in flood disaster mitigation. Aside from using this technology, governments also need accurate flood and weather sensors connected to the flood early warning center.
The deadly flash flood in Puncak Bogor has damaged houses, bridges, and other infrastructures. It also caused the residents to suffer from financial loss. However, the Bogor government can minimize the fatality of a flash flood in the future if it uses cell broadcasters to disseminate flood alerts. These tools are available for purchase on smsbroadcaster.com.
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