UGM Rector, Prof. Ir. Dwikorita Karnawati, M.Sc., Ph.D. led the landslide mitigation team in Banaran, Pulung, Ponorogo, East Java Province on Sunday (2/4), a day after landslide disaster happened that killed as many as 28 victims. At the occasion, Dwikorita and the Head of National Mitigation Institution, Willem Rampangilei, visited the landslide location.
According to Dwikorita, this mitigation team directly visited the disaster location in order to look for facts at the field as well as the main cause of the landslide. The team also analyzed and mitigated the probability of subsequent landslide both at the location and the other locations in Ponorogo.
“Naturally, the slope condition is unstable and there was heavy rainfall these days which caused fault zone at its geologic structure,” said Dwikorita.
Moreover, UGM mitigation team which came from several science subjects will help to map the relocation zone for the local residents by using a drone. Dwikorita said this team also has duties on identifying slopes which have a high risk of landslide and identifying early signs of it.
“By doing identification, we hope the society can understand the early warning system of a landslide so they can prevent as well as avoid it,” she added.
Meanwhile, Willem Rampangilei, said the government and local society had actually anticipated against landslide. They had evacuated at night, but when it happened, some people were working at their fields.
“We had implemented an early warning system. Unfortunately, some people were going back to their fields when the landslide happened,” said Willem.
Therefore, the government plans to relocate the local society to a safer location. The evacuation process is still ongoing. Meanwhile, logistical support has been enough and going well.