Cilacap villages besieged by flood

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap

At least seven villages in Majenang subdistrict, Cilacap regency, Central Java, have been besieged by flood waters due to incessant rains over the past five days, leaving thousands of villagers and civil servants stranded.

Transportation and communication between Majenang and the villages have been cut off because many roads are flooded, while others have been badly damaged by landslides

Many civil servants living in villages have not been able to go to work in the subdistrict office because of the floods. Fortunately, the disaster has not affected hundreds of elementary and high school students, who are still enjoying their holiday during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

The seven villages were Lampeng, Jaringau, Cikarau, Margasari, Sepatnunggal, Sedahayu and Bener.

Cilacap administration spokesman Aris Riyanto said here on Tuesday that the local resettlement and regional infrastructure office had deployed hundreds of workers to repair roads damaged by the landslides.

"The repair work is still under way while we wait for the floods to subside and the rain to abate," he said, citing that thousands of sacks of sand were being used to repair the damaged roads connecting the villages.

He said the ten-kilometer road connecting Majenang with the villages was prone to landslides because it ran alongside the Cijulu River.

"The evacuation of village residents is still under way and, so far, 265 villagers have been evacuated to safe areas in the subdistrict," he said.

Majenang subdistrict head Sutrisno said the local administration and villagers would develop emergency roads to the village should the flooding continue over the next few days.

"We are also seeking rubber dinghies to allow residents to leave the villages," he said, explaining that the flood occurred because the river could not cope with the downpour over the last five days.

Sutrisno also said the local administration had dispatched humanitarian assistance, including food, blankets and medical supplies to more than 600 residents in the villages of Cikerang and Bulurejo, which had also been affected by flooding.

"All the villagers there have been evacuated because the villages can still be reached by bus and car," he said.