12,000 poor families risk being drowned

12,000 poor families risk being drowned

PALANGKARAYA, Central Kalimantan: Local Social Affairs Office chief Alif Abdullah said here on Saturday that more than 12,000 families were living in risk-prone homes along river banks in six regencies across the province.

He said that the poor families should be resettled as they were at risk of being swept away by floods during the rainy season.

"In addition to suffering health problems, the poor families face the serious threat of floods," he said.

He added that, although the areas along river banks were prone to flooding, the people chose to live there because many of them earned their living by providing public transport along the rivers.

"Those who live along the rivers do not have permanent jobs and live in poverty" he said. --Antara