Disaster toll reaches 125 across the archipelago

Disaster toll reaches 125 across the archipelago

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Disastrous floods and landslides continued to devastate cities
across Java and other parts of the country on Wednesday, bringing
the death toll to 125 and destroying around 120,000 hectares of
rice fields.

The calamities forced local authorities to prepare emergency
measures nationwide as further flooding is likely to plague many
regions across Indonesia, which could cause much worst
devastation.

The resort island of Bali, Nusa Tenggara and some parts of
Java island have been swept by Cyclone Chris producing high waves
and turbulent weather conditions.

At least 70 people have been killed since floods and
landslides hit East Java late last month. At least 42 deaths were
recorded in Bondowoso regency, 12 in the neighboring town of
Situbondo and 14 others in Sampang on Madura island.

In Jakarta alone, devastating floods have claimed at least 33
lives and left five people missing. Landslides and floods have
also killed at least 15 villagers in Bali.

The East Java provincial administration has disbursed Rp 2
billion in aid for flood victims in the affected regions across
East Java, and will allocate another Rp 15 billion from the
province's state budget.

Bondowoso Regent M. Maschut told The Jakarta Post that Wringin
village was one of the areas worst hit by floods and landslides,
killing at least 20 people, destroying 453 houses.

Data from East Java's emergency task force showed that the
disasters caused Rp 14 billion of losses in Bondowoso, another Rp
14 billion in Situbondo and Rp 2.4 billion in Pamekasan.

Officials in Jakarta said the widespread floods had destroyed
more than 120,000 hectares of rice fields and ruined almost
300,000 tons of unhusked rice.

Indonesia has targeted an unhusked rice output of 53.88
million tons for 2002, from last year's 50.1 million tons.

"As of yesterday (Wednesday), at least 120,991 hectares of
paddy fields in seven main rice producing provinces have been
inundated by floods," Sarsito Wahono, a senior official at the
agriculture ministry, told Reuters.

However, Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih said the
floods would not significantly cut the country's food production.

Rising water also affected plantation crops, with cocoa in
Sulawesi and rubber in Sumatra the worst hit.

In Karawang, one of West Java's largest rice producing
regencies, floods triggered by three days of rain swamped more
than 21,000 hectares of rice fields on Wednesday.

Head of the Karawang agriculture office Sodikin M.S. said
almost all the ruined farm land was located along the coastal
area. He warned that the devastation could affect another
thousand hectares of rice fields.

"Since I assumed office in 1999, this year's destruction of
rice fields is the worst," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Flooding has ruined around 3,427 hectares of farm land since
late January in Central Java, including Pekalongan, Batang,
Pemalang, Demak, Kendal, Cilacap, Banyumas, and Purworejo, Deputy
Central Java Governor Mulyadi Widodo said on Wednesday.

"The rainfall that has inundated farming areas was
unpredictable, so it's hard for us to propose more fund
allocations to help farmers affected by the floods," he said.

The floods in Central Java spread to Karangtengah village in
Temanggung regency, forcing 200 people to flee to safer areas
after their houses were hit by a landslide on Wednesday.

The landslide affected at least 15 hectares of land, most of
which was a mountainous, deforested area. No casualties were
reported.

A separate landslide destroyed and damaged dozens of houses
and one mosque in Tasikmalaya, Central Java. There were no
reports of casualties.

Apart from the widespread floods, threats of danger from
Cyclone Chris haunted people, particularly fishermen, and ships
off the eastern parts of the country.

A private shipping company in Kupang has temporarily stopped
their ships from operating since waves in Java Sea continued to
rise by up to three meters high.

In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, two motor boats capsized on
Sunday and their 12 crew members are still missing amid storms.
However, local Navy personnel suspended the search for the
victims due to bad weather conditions on Wednesday.