50,000 flee as floods hit Rokanhulu regency
50,000 flee as floods hit Rokanhulu regency
Chaidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau
Some 50,000 people fled to safer areas as floods triggered by
three days of rain inundated their houses and farmland in at
least 27 villages in Rokanhulu regency, Riau province, on
Tuesday.
No casualties were reported, but thousands of livestock such
as cows, water buffaloes, goats and chickens were swept away by
the floods, the biggest to plague the town since 1976, after
their owners failed to rescue them.
The floods also cut the Riau-West Sumatra highway as a
landslide swept across the street at Tanjung Alai village in Tiga
Belas Koto subdistrict in Kampar regency, around 80 kilometers
from the Riau capital of Pekanbaru.
As a result, hundreds of trucks, buses and other vehicles
heading to and from Riau were left stranded in a seven-kilometer
traffic jam.
The vehicles were later rerouted to alternative roads, and
motorists had to travel for many additional hours to reach their
destinations.
Many passengers traveling to West Sumatra had to change buses
in order to continue their journeys, while others had to turn
back and return home.
Kampar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Suaroso Hadi asked trucks
from West Sumatra carrying rice, vegetables and other staple
foods to take the route that runs through Kiliran Jao, so they
would arrive in Riau about nine hours faster than if they took
other alternative routes.
"We suggest that trucks transporting basic commodities to pass
through Kiliran Jao to get to Riau. This is aimed at anticipating
possible shortages of rice and vegetable in Pekanbaru, Riau," he
said.
The flooding that hit the 27 villages in three subdistricts --
Bangun Purba, Kunto and Kota Pasir Pangaraian -- in the regency
of Rokanhulu, around 250 kilometers from Pekanbaru, ensued after
three days of heavy rains which began Sunday.
The rains caused the Batang Labu River in the town of Pasir
Pangaraian and other rivers nearby to overflow. Most of the
affected houses and farmland ready for harvest were located near
the Batang Labu River.
Floodwater reached a height of at least one meter, forcing
tens of thousands of villagers to flee to safer areas en masse.
Sutikno, a 34-year-old resident at Pasir Pangaraian, told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday that he and other fellow villagers had
abandoned their houses, and had failed to rescue thousands of
their livestock from being washed away.
He and other local residents predicted that damages caused by
the flooding would cost about Rp 10 billion.
"We can do very little in this. We just hope that the local
government will provide us with assistance soon," Sutikno said.
Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Pandiangan said at least
60 personnel had been deployed to help victims in the affected
villages and prevent further damages from the floods.
Meanwhile, the Rokanhulu administration established flood
control posts, which are tasked with channeling humanitarian aid
to the victims, among other duties.
So far, at least 10 tons of rice and hundreds of packages of
noodles have been distributed to the victims.
"We have set up emergency soup kitchens in several locations
to ensure that food is readily available to victims," Deputy
Rokanhulu Regent Auni M. Nur said.
He blamed the floods on the rampant deforestation in border
areas between Riau and North Sumatra, including the protected
Mahato Forest where illegal logging continues unchecked.