Demak Flood Serves as a Test of Collective Awareness in Cross-Regional Environmental Protection

Although rainfall in Demak Regency is low, residents must remain vigilant against flooding when heavy rain occurs simultaneously in upstream areas. Demak (ANTARA) - Demak Regency in Central Java is geographically located in a downstream or coastal area, naturally serving as a pathway for river flows from upstream to downstream towards the sea. Demak Regency is also traversed by several major rivers, such as the Wulan River, Cabean River, and Tuntang River. The management of all these rivers falls under the authority of the central government through the BBWS Pemali Juana. Although rainfall in Demak Regency is low, residents must remain vigilant against flooding when heavy rain occurs simultaneously in upstream areas. This situation occurred when six embankments along the Tuntang River, passing through Trimulyo and Sidoharjo villages in Guntur sub-district, Demak Regency, Central Java, collapsed due to water exceeding the river’s capacity. “At that time, the weather in Demak Regency, as the downstream area, was clear, while the upstream mountainous regions, spread across several regencies, experienced heavy rainfall,” said the Secretary of Demak Regency, Ahmad Sugiharto, in Demak. The Wulan River once severed the Pantura road between Kudus and Demak due to a breach in its embankment, and recently, overflows from the Cabean River, Jajar River, and Tuntang River also flooded Demak. Nine villages in four sub-districts—Guntur, Karangtengah, Wonosalam, and Kebonagung—were affected by the flood due to the breach of the Tuntang River embankment in Trimulyo and Sidoharjo villages. The nine affected villages include Trimulyo, Sidoharjo, Turitempel, Tlogorejo, and Bumiharjo (Guntur sub-district), Ploso (Karangtengah sub-district), Lempuyang (Wonosalam sub-district), as well as Sarimulyo and Solowire (Kebonagung sub-district). In addition to displacing 2,839 people, 2,116 houses were impacted, not including 29 places of worship, 18 schools, and 671 hectares of farmland that were inundated. The flood also caused 27 houses in Trimulyo village, Guntur sub-district, Demak Regency, to be damaged either severely or lightly. In fact, 12 of those houses were swept away by the flood. Test of Sensitivity