BNPB: Embankment Repairs and Logistics in Langkat Are Priorities

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has stated that the distribution of emergency logistical aid and the repair of collapsed river embankment infrastructure are priorities to accelerate post-flood recovery in Langkat Regency, North Sumatra. Head of the BNPB Data, Information and Disaster Communication Centre Abdul Muhari said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday that these tactical steps were orchestrated by the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) together with the local government, as the floodwaters have now fully receded. “A total of 3,367 heads of families were affected and around 3,000 residential units were inundated. The BPBD and the local government have distributed logistical aid and are repairing the damaged embankments,” he said. He explained that the flooding which previously hit the areas of Sei Bamban Village and Batang Serangan Ward in Padang Tualang District was triggered by high rainfall intensity, causing drainage channels and river flows to overflow to a height of 50 to 80 centimetres. Although the Langkat area has just been hit by flooding, the BNPB has actually warned of a jump in weather anomalies in other regions, in line with the increasing potential threat of dry hydrometeorological disasters at the national level. Therefore, Abdul urged all levels of society and local governments to tighten monitoring in forest-fire-prone areas, conserve clean water usage, and strictly prohibit land clearing by burning.