Landslides in Indonesia

A leading geologist has explained in the media that the government should pay attention and
inform villagers of the dangers of building homes on mountain slopes. The government
should also consider geological and topographical conditions in the relevant areas.
Indeed the government takes its duties lightly where village conditions are concerned. The
inhabitants of villages should be informed regularly that cutting trees in and around a village
should be prohibited.
Having travelled extensively in Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and throughout Java, I have
witnessed that in and around many villages on mountain slopes no trees are visible as these
were cut down a long time ago to be used as cooking fuel besides being used to construct
homes.
No reforestation has ever taken place and this is due to the governments lack of education of
villagers about this important issue. Geological and topographical conditions and the
importance of reforestation are paramount.
The government also fails to inform and teach these villagers about the danger of landslides.
These mountain slopes where no tree is standing are killing zones, especially in the rainy
season, and natural disasters are bound to happen.
It is not too late to inform villagers that reforestation is a must and that studying geological
and topographical conditions in the area before before constructing a home is extremely
important. Ignorant villagers cannot be blamed.
Lynna van der Zee-Oehmke
Bogor, West Java
Adapted from Jakarta Post, December 22, 2014, p. 6.
1. What is the letter to the editor about?
A leading geologists explanation that the government should pay attention and inform
villagers of the dangers of building homes on mountain slopes.
The writers view that the government does not care with the fact that people build their
homes on potentially dangerous deforested mountain slopes.
The writers observation of the serious deforestation in the four main islands in Indonesia.
The governments failure to inform and teach villagers about the danger of landslides on
mountain slopes.
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3. The writer states her belief that deforestation is the result of ....

peoples habit in the past to cut trees for cooking and building

their houses

the governments lack of seriousness in educating people about reforestation

peoples ignorance about the danger of deforestation on the mountain slopes
the governments programmes of housing development on mountain slop
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4. These mountain slopes where no tree is standing are killing zones, especially in the
rainy season, and natural disasters are bound to happen. (6th paragraph). The
underlined word is closest in meaning to ....
destined
about
going
supposed
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