Disastrous floods affect many more regions

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.