Bandung, West Java (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s environment ministry will deploy a team of experts to conduct an in-depth scientific study of the post-landslide landscape in Cisarua, West Bandung District, aiming to guide mitigation and prevent further disasters.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said on Sunday the assessment would examine environmental conditions comprehensively, stressing that policy responses must be based on scientific analysis rather than assumptions.
“We are deploying a team of experts, as we did in Sumatra, because environmental management must be scientific to determine appropriate mitigation steps,” Nurofiq said during a visit to the affected area.
The study will evaluate not only physical damage from the landslide but also ecological factors, including soil stability, vegetation cover and the risk of additional disasters triggered by similar conditions.
Nurofiq said rapid urbanization had contributed to land-use changes around Cisarua, pushing agricultural activity into mountainous areas that are environmentally vulnerable to erosion and slope failure.
He cited the expansion of crops such as potatoes, cabbage and peppers, typically grown in subtropical climates at elevations of 800 to 2,000 metres, as evidence of shifting farming practices.
“These conditions are not characteristic of our local environment. Since 2025, the scale of change has accelerated, driving farmland expansion into mountain areas in ways that increase environmental risk,” he said.
Nurofiq said the expert team would work with the West Bandung district government under the district head, with the detailed landscape study expected to take one to two weeks to complete.
