Kuningan on the Verge of Ecological Crisis: Disaster No Longer Waits for a Season

Kuningan, Konntroversinews | Environmental damage in Kuningan is increasingly worrying. The concerns of residents around Mount Ciremai regarding development which is considered uncontrolled received serious attention from the Chair of BARAK, Nana Rusdiana S.IP.

According to Nana, today’s threat of disaster no longer waits for the season. In fact, risks arise every day, born from the accumulation of ecological pressure and spatial governance that is thought to be problematic. Floods, landslides, extreme weather and earthquakes now haunt almost all of Indonesia.

“The potential for disaster in Kuningan is just waiting to see who will be the victim,” stressed Nana at the BARAK Secretariat, Thursday (11/12/25).

He emphasized the importance of bringing together elements of the government, legislature and civil society organizations to reread the roots of the disaster problem in Kuningan Regency – not just discuss disaster events after they occur.

Nana also highlighted the West Java BPBD disaster analysis which stated that not a single district/city in West Java was free from the threat of disaster based on the 2025–2029 Risk Study. West Java is in a multi-layered threat zone: floods, flash floods, landslides, drought, forest fires, extreme weather, earthquakes and tsunamis. “This must be a serious concern,” he said.

However, for Nana, the issue of disasters is not only about the magnitude of natural threats, but also about the capacity of the government and society to respond to them. He emphasized that a community-based approach is very important, because resilience cannot be completely dependent on the state.

Nana said that licensing problems and weak supervision were the source of recurring problems. Local governments are often in a dilemma between pursuing Regional Original Income and maintaining environmental sustainability. Inequality in land tenure and weak environmental law enforcement are the roots that exacerbate the risk of disaster.

Nana emphasized the need to build a culture of resilience, not just make it a ceremonial project. Increasing knowledge, supervision and community preparedness must be a mutual agreement.

“Resilience is a new culture that must be built, not a project,” he stressed.

In the end, disasters are not just natural events. It is a mirror of how humans manage land, water and the future of their generations. ***