Project News

The Campaign

On November 27th, the Annual National Campaign for Sediment-Related Disaster Mitigation has been held in Sukakarya Village in Samarang Sub-District, Garut District, West Java Province (Host Sponsorships: Ministry of Public Works/Garut District, Cooperation: JICA). This campaign has been held every year since 2002 for the purpose of increasing awareness of local residents against sediment-related disaster.

About 350 people including local elementary, junior-high, and high school students of Garut District, people involved in disaster prevention agencies, etc., gathered in the Garut Park, the campaign site.

At the opening ceremony, Mr.Pitoyo, Director of River and Coast in Directorate General of Water Resources, Ministry of Public Works; Mr.Priyo Sambodo, Director of Cimanuk-Cisanggarung River Basin Office; the sub prefect of Garut District; and Toshiyasu Ueno Expert gave speeches. Ueno Expert introduced that June was designated as the sediment-related disaster prevention month in Japan and they had various events for education all over in Japan.

After the opening ceremony, Mr. Hariyono Utomo, Head of Sabo Technical Centre gave a lecture about Sediment disaster and its control, and Secretary of Garut District did about Natural Disaster control in Garut District. Also a picture contest related to sediment disasters was held.

Garut District has Mt. Guntur Volcano and Mt. Papandayan volcano.  The landscape is precipitous and geological condition is fragile. Therefore every time at heavy rain, sediment flow causes disasters. In February, 2010, heavy rain caused sediment disasters such as debris flow and landslide at Samarang and Pasirwangi Sub-District.