6.000 take refufe after Blitar flooding
6.000 take refufe after Blitar flooding
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At least six thousand residents of Blitar regency, East Java
province, have taken refuge on higher ground after flooding hit
the area between Thursday and Friday.
No fatalities were reported in the incident, but there are
fears that the flooding will worsen as heavy rain and high winds
were still affecting the area on Friday evening.
The flooding had inundated hundreds of houses in five
subdistricts of Sutojayan district, Blitar regency, some hundreds
of kilometers east of Jakarta. In some places, water reached
three meters deep.
Several witnesses recalled that the flooding began at 10 p.m
on Thursday. "A heavy downpour hit our area on Thursday afternoon
and again that night. Suddenly, we found our area was being
flooded," Arifin, a resident of Kedung Bunder subdistrict, was
quoted as saying by Antara.
The water rose to 60 centimeters in some parts of the
subdistrict that night, prompting people to flee to higher ground
for safety. Residents said that the flooding came after the Bogel
river overflowed following the heavy rain.
Most of the residents took refuge in a number of elementary
schools in the subdistrict that are located on higher ground.
Local government officials from the Public Works Office and
Public Order Agency, and police personnel have been deployed to
the area to help take residents to safety.
A spokesman for the Blitar regental administration, Didik
Bintoro, said that the local government had provided some 60
kilograms of rice and 150 boxes of instant noodles to residents
in need.
Flooding also began to affect Tulungagung and Bojonegoro
regencies, which are in East Java province as well. The flooding
has not severely affected residents as yet, but in Tulungagung
regency, two bridges collapsed due to flash floods. The collapse
of the two bridges has cut road links between South Tulungagung
and South Blitar. Floodwaters have inundated thousands of
hectares of paddy fields in Pucang Laban and Kalidawir districts,
leaving local farmers dismayed.
Hundreds of residents of Bandung and Basuki districts in the
regency have also been affected by flooding but have stayed put
as the floodwaters are only a few centimeters deep so far. The
flooding occurred after the Bandung river burst its banks.
"Residents are worried as rain is continuing to fall here,"
said Krisna, a resident of Bandung district, on Friday evening.
The flooding has prevented fishermen in the regency from
dispatching fish to markets in the city as the road connecting
the coast and the city has been buried in thick mud, preventing
trucks from passing.
Roeswita Sianipar, the head of Tulungagung's Public Works
Office, said that he had dispatched sandbags to the flood-
affected areas to help prevent further inundations.
In Bojonegoro regency, rain over the past two weeks has
resulted in the Bengawan Solo river overflowing its banks,
leading into widespread flooding in the area. Thousands of
hectares of paddy fields in the regency have been inundated, but
the flooding has yet to affect residential areas.
In Jambi province, the Jambi provincial government has
prepared medicines and food in anticipation of flooding in the
province, said Zulkifli Nurdin, the Jambi Governor.
Flooding hit Rokan Hilir regency in Riau Island a few days
ago, killing one person.