More disasters likely to follow<\/p>\n
The fourth week of November this year has seen more intense
\nrainfall across the archipelago, meaning that annual natural
\ndisasters are waiting. Everyone, especially the central as well
\nas regional governments, are reminded to be watchful.<\/p>\n
The first and significant catastrophe occurred when a Lion Air
\npassenger jet skidded off a slippery runway in a heavy rain and
\nslammed into a cemetery at the Surakarta Adisumarmo airport on
\nNov. 30.<\/p>\n
The normal natural disasters such as flooding and landslides
\nhave also begun taking place. Hundreds of residents of Pekanbaru
\n(Riau province) had to abandon their homes on Nov. 29 after
\nfloodwaters rose to a height of one meter in several parts of the
\ncity. In Dairi regency, North Sumatra, a landslide took the life
\nof one person and a number of houses were damaged in a landslide
\nin Jember regency, East Java (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 30).<\/p>\n
The Lion Air plane crash could have been averted if the pilot
\nhad, in consultation with officials in the airport tower, made a
\ndecision to land at another nearby airport, for instance in
\nYogyakarta, when he saw the heavy rain had made it impossible to
\nland. This tragedy should serve as a bitter lesson for other
\npilots to be more careful during the rainy season.<\/p>\n
As for the flooding and landslides, one might remember the
\nNov. 2 flash flood that hit the North Sumatra resort of Langkat,
\nkilling over 100 people and leaving hundreds more missing. The
\nroot cause of these disasters is known to all, i.e. environmental
\ndamage especially as a result of illegal logging.<\/p>\n
The administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has
\nvowed to use his first 100 days in office to crack down on
\nillegal loggers as well as corrupt officials.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, this year's rainy season has just started and
\nthere are at least three more months to come. Heavy downpours
\nmust be anticipated in disaster-prone areas, including in
\nJakarta. All officials must be on full alert to prevent any
\ncatastrophes, otherwise the ordinary people will be left to
\nsuffer even more.<\/p>\n
M. RUSDI
\nJakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-disasters-likely-to-follow-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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