67 homes destroyed in C. Java landslides

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Pos, Banyumas

A total of 67 houses were destroyed by landslides in Banyumas and Cilacap regencies in Central Java early on Monday, following the incessant downpour on Saturday and Sunday in the region.

At least 20 houses were badly damaged in Tlaga village in Banyumas and 47 others were totally destroyed in Dayeuh Luhur village in Cilacap.

There were no human casualties in the disasters but more than 400 people have been forced to take refuge in safer areas in the two regencies.

More food aid was flown in from the provincial administration and numerous non-governmental organizations to the local administration to be distributed to the refugees.

Banyumas Regent Aris Setiono called on all people living in mountainous areas of the regency to move to safer areas due to fresh fears of more landslides in the future.

"We call on all people living in mountainous areas and on the slopes of hillsides to move to safe areas because more and more landslides are expected to occur during the rainy season," he said when he met and handed over food aid to the landslide victims in Tlaga on Monday.

He said the flood and landslides that destroyed more than 60 houses two weeks ago have caused more than Rp 3 billion in material losses to local people.

More than 150,000 hectares of rice fields were also damaged in the regency. Farmers who had previously received special credit under the farm credit scheme have asked the government for debt relief because of their damaged crops.

Cilacap Regent Hery Tabri also made a similar demand as he was distributing humanitarian assistance to landslide victims in Cilulu, Pucung Datar and Ciparahu villages.

He said he asked the Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation agency in Bandung to seriously study and identify areas prone to landslides in the regency.

"The local administration will not allow local people to establish their houses in areas prone to landslides," he said, adding that the landslides and flooding had cost local people more than Rp 2.5 billion.