Disastrous floods affect many more regions

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Devastating floods, which have swamped much of the capital, have also hit many other parts of Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi provinces on Friday, claiming more lives, destroying thousands of hectares of rice fields and cutting the country's rice production.

At least four more people died on Friday as floods plagued the West Java towns of Subang and Purwakarta as well as Parepare in South Sulawesi.

In Subang, 60-year old Ki Santa was found dead after drowning in the Cipunagara river that overflowed on Thursday. Another victim was two-year-old Narti, whose body was found floating in her house that was flooded up to 30 centimeters deep.

In some places floodwaters reached up to 1.5 meters deep.

Floods also inundated thousands of other houses and some 8,000 hectares of rice fields and fish hatcheries in at least four subdistricts of Pamanukan, Legonkulon, Pusanegara and Blanakan in the town.

The four subdistricts were the worst hit by floods as they are near the Cipunegara river.

Subang Regent Rohimat and other local officials warned that the floods could result in failed harvests later this month.

Rohimat said his administration was calculating the losses caused by the disaster.

Floods following several days of heavy rain also hit Purwakarta, destroying dozens of houses and causing landslides in at least two mountainous villages of Parakanlima and Pasirmunjul. Water was up to one meter deep as the Citarum river burst its banks.

Dozens of hectares of rice fields that were ready to harvest were destroyed by landslides.

"At least 60 houses of local residents are under direct threat of being destroyed by landslides while three others have already been destroyed. Hundreds of hectares of rice fields were destroyed," Toha, a local village head, was quoted by Antara as saying.

In Parepare, two people drowned in floods that also swamped hundreds of houses due to heavy rain since Tuesday. The level of water reached up to two meters deep.

The victims were identified as Salmiati, 32, and her daughter Jusmiati, 12, who had been swept away as the Binuang river overflowed.

Local sanitation officials admitted the floods were worsened by the lack of catchment areas due to widespread deforestation and shallowness of the river.

The flooding also destroyed the Sempaga bridge in Taraile village in Mamuju regency, which connects intercity roads between South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi.

In South Sumatra, floods inundated at least five school buildings in Musi Banyuasin regency as the Musi river swelled after heavy rains.

Teachers were forced to send thousands of elementary school students home. Many workers had also to leave their offices due to the floods.

The flooding submerged thousands of hectares of farm land and plantations.

Meteorologists predict more heavy rain at least until the end of February and officials say this could reduce national rice production in 2002.

"With this rainfall which is still quite high, we predict more rice fields will be affected by floods. If this continues, the production target of 53 million tons of unhusked rice (for this year) is under threat," Sutarto Alimuso, an official from the agriculture ministry, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

He said floods and landslides had already ruined more than 97,000 hectares of rice fields during the 2001-2002 planting season.

Rice is the staple food of most Indonesians.

However, head of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) Widjanarko Puspojo said the floods would not have a significant impact on the rice production as the country also imported rice from other countries.

Last month, he said Indonesia would import up to one million tons of rice this year. The first 200,000 tons of imported rice from Vietnam would be shipped by March.