15 villages in OKU Regency, South Sumatra, hit by flooding

Baturaja (ANTARA) - As many as 15 villages and urban villages in Ogan Komering Ulu Regency (OKU), South Sumatra, were hit by flooding due to high rainfall that caused the Ogan River to overflow on Friday (17/4) night. The Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of OKU, Januar Efendi, in Baturaja on Saturday, said that this natural disaster is a follow-up flood to the one that occurred previously on Wednesday (15/4). “The previous flood only affected eight villages and urban villages with 347 households impacted,” he said. This time, he said, the flooding has spread to other villages scattered across five sub-districts, namely East Baturaja Sub-district, West Baturaja Sub-district, Peninjauan Sub-district, Lubuk Batang Sub-district, and Kedaton Peninjauan Raya (KPR) Sub-district, with water levels between 30 centimetres and 1 metre. The areas affected by the flooding include Terusan Village, Tanjung Baru Village, Tanjung Kemala Village, Lubuk Batang Lama Village, Gunung Meraksa Village, Kepayang Village, Belimbing Village, Lubuk Kemiling Village, Kedaton Village, Kampai Village, Bunglai Village, Pasar Baru Urban Village, Baturaja Lama Village, Kemalaraja Village, and Tanjung Agung Urban Village. “Based on preliminary data, 1,206 homes are flooded with 5,011 people affected. Alhamdulillah, there are no fatalities,” he said. According to him, his agency has deployed personnel to the disaster site to conduct rapid cross-sectoral assessments to anticipate follow-up disasters and prevent any loss of life. “Flooding in urban areas has receded. However, in the downstream river areas, water is still entering rural areas,” he explained. The OKU BPBD has distributed personnel to the affected areas to help residents carry out activities using rubber boats. The local government has also provided logistical assistance to several affected areas, such as in East Baturaja Sub-district, to help alleviate the burden on the community affected by the natural disaster. “For sanitation and clean water needs in Lubuk Kemiling Village, the situation is still safe because there is a Pamsimas facility that can be used by the villagers,” he said.