Central Java floods a 'national' concern<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The director general of village development at
\nthe Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure, Soenarno,
\nsaid the flash floods which have hit Banyumas and Cilacap
\nregencies in Central Java should be considered a \"national
\nflood\".<\/p>\n
The floods inundated the area following incessant rainfall
\nsince Saturday. The heavy rain also caused several landslides
\nwhich have buried several villages and left at least 32 dead.<\/p>\n
\"It should be considered a national flood as it has impacted
\nmain roads, railway connections and caused other damage,\"
\nSoenarno said here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said so far the floods have inundated no less than 1,492
\nhectares of paddy fields and damaged a total of 9.7 kilometers of
\nroad.<\/p>\n
\"The water level of the flood is about 40 to 60 centimeters,
\nand several dams have broken, causing thousands of houses to be
\ndamaged,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Cilacap Police chief Supt. Bambang Sudarisman told The Jakarta
\nPost over the telephone on Tuesday evening that at least 25
\npeople in the regency had died, most of them in landslides in
\nCimanggu district.<\/p>\n
However, as of Tuesday afternoon only four bodies have been
\nrecovered.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said the destruction in Banyumas was no less severe.<\/p>\n
\"How many damaged houses? It is difficult to count. But
\nthousands of houses were buried,\" Subiantoro from Banyumas
\nregency, told the Post by telephone on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
According to local officials, houses in five villages in
\nCimanggu district were buried by landslides, while another eight
\nvillages in Cipari district and seven in Sidareja district also
\nsaw tons of mud and earth come done on them.<\/p>\n
According to information obtained from the chief of police in
\nMajenang district, over 1,500 houses have been damaged or
\ndestroyed.<\/p>\n
\"The data received is not complete from all villages. It was
\njust the seven villages which were badly hit,\" Insp. Iwan
\nSaktiadi told the Post on Tuesday afternoon by telephone.<\/p>\n
\"The villages swept by flood waters in Majenang district
\ninclude Padangsari, Mulyasari, Mulyadadi, Sidodadi, Pahonjean,
\nKarangsari, Pakuncen and Sidaluhur,\" Iwan said.<\/p>\n
He added that about 10,000 residents from seven villages had
\nbeen evacuated from their homes.<\/p>\n
\"In Pahonjean village thousands had to leave. The water level
\nin their homes reached up to 1.5 meters. The water is still in
\ntheir houses,\" Iwan said.<\/p>\n
According to the officer, the evacuation had been slowed by
\ncontinued rainfall.<\/p>\n
Roads connecting Yogyakarta and Bandung remained closed on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
\"But we have cleared an alternative route which allows small
\nvehicles, not buses, to pass,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Iwan said some emergency assistance had begun to arrive from
\nCilacap regency. \"We got about 100 kilograms of rice, instant
\nnoodles and medicine. But we need and hope for more.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Bandung, West Java, some train services have been
\nhalted due to torrential rain and flooding in Cilacap regency.<\/p>\n
The spokesman of Bandung-based state-owned train operator PT
\nKAI, Akhmad Sujadi, said some routes which were suspended on
\nMonday had reopened.<\/p>\n
\"We've repaired the tracks that were submerged in the flood
\nand it turned out that the damage was minor,\" he said, adding,
\nhowever, that trains heading east of Bandung will likely
\nexperience delays.<\/p>\n
\"The trains have to move very slowly along the Cipari-Meluwung
\nroute since the ground in that area is still unstable due to a
\nprevious landslide. The trains may proceed at about five
\nkilometers per hour,\" he said. (25\/45\/edt\/har)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/central-java-floods-a-national-concern-1447893297",
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