Supriyanto, a resident of Pujut Hamlet, Sidomulyo Village, Deket\nSubdistrict, stated that flooding in his area occurs almost every year\nsince he was a child. The man born in 1974 mentioned that the flooding\nissue has persisted for nearly five decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis flood happens almost every year. (This year) it\u2019s been nearly\nfour months (and it hasn\u2019t receded), and some areas have been flooded\nfor almost five months\u2014villages where nothing is visible except houses.\nSo daily activities require using boats,\u201d Supriyanto told detikX.<\/p>\n
He explained that the flooding has affected five subdistricts\ntraversed by the Bengawan Njero, a tributary of the Bengawan Solo River,\nsince November last year. During the rainy season, when the Bengawan\nSolo\u2019s flow increases, water from the southern and western parts of\nLamongan typically overflows the Bengawan Njero.<\/p>\n
According to Supriyanto, normally, the Bengawan Njero\u2019s flow can be\ndirected into the Bengawan Solo. However, the water often struggles to\nexit because the Bengawan Solo\u2019s flow is higher, preventing the sluice\ngates from opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is, the Bengawan Solo has a strong current, and the dam\n(sluice) can\u2019t be opened (because) the water level is lower than the\nBengawan Solo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For residents, flooding lasting three to four months has become a\nroutine tradition. However, each year, the floods are higher and take\nlonger to recede. This year, for instance, some areas have been\ninundated for nearly five months.<\/p>\n
\u201cKalitengah has been flooded for almost five months, with hamlets\nwhere no land is visible. So the houses are tall, but you can\u2019t go\nanywhere without a boat,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n
Residents, according to him, continuously raise their houses to adapt\nto the recurrent flooding.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, houses are elevated. My house, from when I was little,\nhas been raised by almost half its height, yet it still floods, and so\ndo the roads. The roads, if I\u2019m not mistaken, have been raised by about\n2.5 metres since I was young. They\u2019ve been patched and raised\nrepeatedly. But the roads are elevated, while solutions for drainage and\nwater management seem, from what I\u2019ve observed, less than optimal,\u201d\nSupriyanto explained.<\/p>\n
Flooding has submerged roads in Kalitengah Subdistrict, Lamongan\nRegency. As a result, officials distributing the Free Nutritious Meals\n(MBG) programme have had to use boats.<\/p>\n
Flooded Ponds and Rice Fields Affected<\/p>\n
The majority of residents in the area depend on milkfish and shrimp\nponds, as well as rice farming, for their income. Prolonged flooding\ncauses significant losses because ponds are inundated and seeds cannot\nbe stocked. Many pond farmers have not yet been able to stock seeds due\nto the still-flooded land in the area often nicknamed the Catfish City\nor Soto.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet, some have taken the risk. Many haven\u2019t stocked shrimp or\nmilkfish seeds. The previous rice crops were inundated and rotted, many\ndied. And now it\u2019s flooded up to today,\u201d Supriyanto clarified.<\/p>\n
According to him, the gross income potential from ponds can reach\naround Rp 200 million per hectare under normal conditions. However, the\ncurrent situation has left many residents without their primary source\nof income. Consequently, some have switched to factory labour or\nconstruction work.<\/p>\n
In addition, the flooding increases household costs. Residents must\nspend extra to elevate their houses. It\u2019s not cheap; the routine costs\nevery few years can reach tens of millions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, two years ago, our house was flooded and raised by\nnearly 1-2 metres, and then it was flooded again by about 30-40\ncentimetres. That was just cementing, and it cost around Rp 20 million,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
So far, government assistance has mostly been in the form of\nlogistics aid. For Supriyanto, residents need assistance with\nlonger-term impacts.<\/p>\n
\u201c(They provide) instant noodle and rice aid, but people here don\u2019t\nreally need that. What\u2019s the solution? So there\u2019s no flooding, the\neconomy (especially ponds) rotates, roads (are) normal like that,\u201d he\nemphasised.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Muhammad, a 27-year-old resident from Soko Village, Glagah\nSubdistrict, Lamongan Regency, said the water level on the main road\nonce reached about 60 centimetres and entered residents\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worst was about 60 centimetres, sir. That\u2019s the worst (the\ninundation was on) the main road,\u201d Muhammad told detikX.<\/p>\n
The biggest losses, Muhammad explained, are felt by residents\ndependent on ponds. Normally, flooding starts in January or February,\nbut this year it came earlier around November and December. The flooding\ncoincided with the period for stocking fish seeds in residents\u2019\nponds.<\/p>\n
\u201cResidents with pond livelihoods, with ponds, materially, clearly,\nthey are hit hard. There\u2019s been no income at all since December.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result, some residents choose to stock seeds despite the risk of\ncrop failure. Some try to survive by netting fish.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey still stock seeds. But who knows where the shrimp and fish will\ngo. The capital here is just faith in the Almighty, that\u2019s the mindset\nof people here,\u201d Muhammad explained.<\/p>\n
The government, according to Muhammad, has tried to address the\nflooding by providing pump machines, but their capacity is deemed\ninsufficient. These pumps are intended to discharge water towards the\nBengawan Solo. Unfortunately, the pump capacity is considered not\ncommensurate with the high rainfall intensity.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore 2023, (when pumps were added), initially the pumps were very\npoor, if I may say. Now there\u2019s improvement (to the pumps), but the\nexisting capacity is not comparable to the rainfall intensity,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to Muhammad, this year\u2019s flooding is worse than before. The\nwater inundating settlements, roads, and livelihood lands shows no sign\nof receding for months.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I see, this year it\u2019s worse in the sense that the water is\nhard to drain out, even with pumping,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He assessed the government\u2019s efforts.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/recurrent-floods-in-the-catfish-city-1774875133", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }