Banjarmasin braces for flood

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: Provincial natural disaster coordinating units here are bracing for floods which are predicted to come soon as the La Nia wet weather phenomenon settles in next month.

Head of the provincial natural disaster coordinating unit (Satkorlak PB) Bachtiar Murad said Saturday the province had prepared over 10,000 sandbags to anticipate the breaching of several dams in the area.

"According to predictions we have received, areas to be hit by flood will be Banjarmasin, Batulicin in Kotabaru regency and the Banua Lima region," Murad, who is also a deputy governor, said as quoted by Antara.

He said the provincial administration was also urging residents to heed calls to keep rivers and waterways clear as ways to avert flood.

"We are very concerned that many rivers are just becoming too shallow and shrinking as more and more settlements are being developed along riversides. It has made us prone to flood," he said. (aan)