54 hectares of rice fields flooded

TANGERANG (JP): About 54 hectares of paddy fields, which were ready for harvest, in Tiga Raksa and Cisoka districts, were inundated Wednesday after the nearby Cipayaeun and Manceri rivers burst their banks.

Besides destroying the paddy fields, the flooding also ruined 12 hectares of secondary crops, ranging from vegetables to peanuts, according to Antara.

Sumarna Ady, the head of the disaster prevention center in Tiga Raksa, said Wednesday's flooding was the deepest in the last 10 years.

"The paddy was scheduled to be harvested next week," he said, adding that if the floodwaters do not subside in the next seven days, the crops will be lost.

The flood, which reached 1.5 meters in height, also inundated 45 houses in the Matagara and Mindi subdistricts in Tiga Raksa. (hhr)