1,230 Houses and 4,280 People Affected by Floods in Demak
Floods continue to inundate Demak Regency, with 1,230 houses submerged and 1,070 families (4,280 souls) affected. The breached Tuntang River embankment is being urgently repaired to address the flooding in four sub-districts.
Media Indonesia monitoring on Sunday (5/4) revealed that the floods have struck eight villages in four sub-districts: Guntur, Karangtengah, Wonosalam, and Kebonagung, Demak Regency. Residents remain in evacuation centres as floodwaters reaching 1-1.5 metres still cover their homes after the Tuntang River embankment collapsed at three points.
As of now, the embankment breaches spanning 10-50 metres in Trimulyo and Sidorejo Villages, Guntur Sub-district, Demak, remain open. This situation allows water from the Tuntang River to continuously flow into residential areas, flooding homes and hundreds of hectares of rice fields. The floods are estimated to cause losses amounting to tens of billions of rupiah.
“Based on data, 1,230 houses are flooded, affecting 1,070 family heads or 4,280 people,” said the Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Demak, Agus Sukiyono, on Sunday (5/4).
The flooding, which began on Friday (3/4) afternoon due to the collapse of the Tuntang River embankment, continued Agus Sukiyono, has submerged eight villages. These villages are Trimulyo, Sidoharjo, Turirejo, Sumberejo, Ploso, Lempuyang, Solowire, and Sarimulyo. The floods have also inundated 10 educational facilities and 15 places of worship.
Given the rising and expanding floods, Agus Sukiyono explained, a joint team from BPBD, Police, Military, Indonesian Red Cross, Social Services, Health Services, and volunteers immediately mobilised for evacuations. Currently, 2,839 residents are still holding out in several evacuation locations, and two people have been found dead.
Following the evacuation process, according to Agus Sukiyono, the next step in handling the flood issue is the distribution of logistical aid to residents in evacuation centres as well as those still in their homes. “The Central Java Governor, who visited the site, has guaranteed the basic needs of flood victims,” he added.
The impact of the Tuntang River embankment collapse has increased water volume. Combined with high rainfall intensity in the upstream area (Semarang Regency), water continues to flow into villages and settlements along the river basin (DAS).
The Head of Operations and Water Resources Maintenance Division (OP SDA) of the Pemali Juana River Basin Organisation (BBWS), Andi Sofyan, stated that his team is currently carrying out emergency handling. They are installing bamboo fences and soil compaction at the breach sites using heavy equipment promptly brought to the location. “We are handling it on an emergency basis first to prevent river water from entering residential areas; later, we will repair it permanently,” he added.
Regarding the permanent construction of the Tuntang River embankment, according to Andi Sofyan, the government has allocated Rp50 billion. However, it is currently in the tendering process and thus cannot be immediately implemented.
The Tuntang River embankment, as stated by Andi Sofyan, is considered quite vulnerable. This is because most of it is still made of soil. Previously, Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi stated that flood handling in Demak can no longer be on an emergency basis, as the Tuntang River embankment is a crucial point that must be improved from upstream to downstream. “We are immediately coordinating with the ministry on comprehensive flood handling in Demak,” he added.