One missing in N. Sumatra flooding<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
Amid water shortages in many parts of the country that have
\ncaused widespread crop failure, flooding hit the North Sumatra
\ntown of Sibolga on Tuesday, with one person thought drowned and
\nhundreds of others forced to flee their homes.<\/p>\n
The victim was identified as Adolf Manalu, a 10-year-old
\nelementary school pupil who fell into Aek Doras River. His body
\nhas not yet been found.<\/p>\n
Some 400 families of Aek Muara Pinang village in South Sibolga
\nsubdistrict and Ake Panis village in Central Sibolga fled to
\nhigher ground.<\/p>\n
However, many returned home on Tuesday evening after the
\nfloodwater receded.<\/p>\n
The flood was triggered by three hours of heavy rain in
\nSibolga and surrounding areas, causing a number of rivers to
\noverflow, including one in Aek Sihopo-ho in South Sibolga
\nsubdistrict and another in Aek Doras in North Sibolga
\nsubdistrict.<\/p>\n
Floodwater was up to 1.5 meters deep in residential areas.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, heavy rain in Central Tapanuli regency -- adjacent
\nto Sibolga -- caused a landslide in the mountainous area of Bonan
\nDolok, Sitahuis subdistrict. No injuries or casualties have been
\nreported.<\/p>\n
The landslide buried a section of the Sibolga-Taratung road,
\nsaid Rudolf Sihotang, head of the Central Tapanuli civilian
\npolice unit.<\/p>\n
\"Residents and local officials are removing the soil from the
\naffected area,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Firman, who heads the Polonia Meteorology and Geophysics
\nAgency (BMG) in the North Sumatra capital of Medan, said rain
\nwould continue to fall through to November and could cause
\nfloods.<\/p>\n
Last week, Firman warned local residents of heavy rainfall
\naccompanied by strong winds in several areas in the province
\nstarting this month.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin said recently that
\n115,903 hectares in the province were prone to flooding.<\/p>\n
He said the provincial administration had taken measures to
\ncontrol flooding on 63 percent, or 72,537 hectares, of the land.<\/p>\n
The governor called on the public to increase neighborhood
\nsecurity and help with flood control in their areas.<\/p>\n
Rizal acknowledged that large rivers in North Sumatra -- such
\nas the Asahan, Silau, Batang Ayumi and Bilah rivers -- needed to
\nbe dredged to prevent them from overflowing during the rainy
\nseason.<\/p>\n
\"The length of rivers prone to overflowing is around 386.4
\nkilometers. So, if the rain is quite heavy, all the rivers could
\noverflow and cause flooding in surrounding areas,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The governor said floods and other disasters should be handled
\nin an integrated manner, involving central and local
\nadministrations, non-governmental organizations, experts and
\nbusinesspeople.<\/p>\n
\"We still hope to come up with a grand strategy to prevent
\nfloods,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/one-missing-in-n-sumatra-flooding-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}