Central Java floods a 'national' concern

JAKARTA (JP): The director general of village development at the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure, Soenarno, said the flash floods which have hit Banyumas and Cilacap regencies in Central Java should be considered a "national flood".

The floods inundated the area following incessant rainfall since Saturday. The heavy rain also caused several landslides which have buried several villages and left at least 32 dead.

"It should be considered a national flood as it has impacted main roads, railway connections and caused other damage," Soenarno said here on Tuesday.

He said so far the floods have inundated no less than 1,492 hectares of paddy fields and damaged a total of 9.7 kilometers of road.

"The water level of the flood is about 40 to 60 centimeters, and several dams have broken, causing thousands of houses to be damaged," he said.

Cilacap Police chief Supt. Bambang Sudarisman told The Jakarta Post over the telephone on Tuesday evening that at least 25 people in the regency had died, most of them in landslides in Cimanggu district.

However, as of Tuesday afternoon only four bodies have been recovered.

Witnesses said the destruction in Banyumas was no less severe.

"How many damaged houses? It is difficult to count. But thousands of houses were buried," Subiantoro from Banyumas regency, told the Post by telephone on Tuesday afternoon.

According to local officials, houses in five villages in Cimanggu district were buried by landslides, while another eight villages in Cipari district and seven in Sidareja district also saw tons of mud and earth come done on them.

According to information obtained from the chief of police in Majenang district, over 1,500 houses have been damaged or destroyed.

"The data received is not complete from all villages. It was just the seven villages which were badly hit," Insp. Iwan Saktiadi told the Post on Tuesday afternoon by telephone.

"The villages swept by flood waters in Majenang district include Padangsari, Mulyasari, Mulyadadi, Sidodadi, Pahonjean, Karangsari, Pakuncen and Sidaluhur," Iwan said.

He added that about 10,000 residents from seven villages had been evacuated from their homes.

"In Pahonjean village thousands had to leave. The water level in their homes reached up to 1.5 meters. The water is still in their houses," Iwan said.

According to the officer, the evacuation had been slowed by continued rainfall.

Roads connecting Yogyakarta and Bandung remained closed on Tuesday.

"But we have cleared an alternative route which allows small vehicles, not buses, to pass," he said.

Iwan said some emergency assistance had begun to arrive from Cilacap regency. "We got about 100 kilograms of rice, instant noodles and medicine. But we need and hope for more."

Meanwhile in Bandung, West Java, some train services have been halted due to torrential rain and flooding in Cilacap regency.

The spokesman of Bandung-based state-owned train operator PT KAI, Akhmad Sujadi, said some routes which were suspended on Monday had reopened.

"We've repaired the tracks that were submerged in the flood and it turned out that the damage was minor," he said, adding, however, that trains heading east of Bandung will likely experience delays.

"The trains have to move very slowly along the Cipari-Meluwung route since the ground in that area is still unstable due to a previous landslide. The trains may proceed at about five kilometers per hour," he said. (25/45/edt/har)