E. Java flooding continues, loggers blamed

E. Java flooding continues, loggers blamed

Indra Harsaputra and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya/Blitar

More towns in East Java will likely follow Blitar's major flood
with the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) forecasting
continuous torrential rain and strong winds this week in the
province, which has been denuded of much of its protective
forests.

Maritim Perak BMG's Technical Division head Mohammad Effendi
said Monday that heavy rain and wind would hit cities such as
Malang, Tulungagung, Kediri, Jombang, Mojokerto, Tuban, Lamongan
and Blitar over the next three to five days.

"Currently, we are seeing the early form of a tropical storm
over the southern part of the Java Sea. In the next five days,
the speed of the wind could reach up to 60 kilometers per hour,"
Effendi said on Monday.

He said the precipitation level in East Java would peak in mid
December and would possibly result in more flooding and
landslides due to the massive deforestation in the area, as
forests are one of nature's tools to absorb rain water.

Official statistics report that 65 percent of the province's
total 1.3 million hectares of forests have been cut down.

Effendi warned that the water levels in the submerged city of
Blitar were still high and urged local administrations to stay
alert to prevent more losses.

Floods and landslides have killed at least 14 people since
Friday in Blitar, while thousands more have been forced to take
refuge away from their homes.

Local authorities said the floods and landslides had washed
away 30 houses and destroyed 650 other buildings, including
mosques and schools, with the total loss reaching Rp 28 billion
(US$3.11 million).

Hundreds of refugees have also begun to inundate area clinics
diarrhea and other ailments related to unsafe water in the
regency.

In Payung, Batu Malang, supporting forests have been laid bare
by loggers and landslides have become commonplace for local
residents.

In Canggar, Mojokerto, similar conditions prevail, while some
people were seen clearing off the mud-covered road that winds its
way up Mount Wilis in Nganjuk district after Sunday's landslide.
No fatalities were reported in that incident.

Syafruddin Ngulma Simeulue, the director of Peduli Indonesia,
a non-governmental organization, said that many more devastating
floods and landlides were imminent and urged the local
administration to review its forestry policies to minimize such
natural distasters.

"I urge the East Java Governor to enact specific bylaws to
govern issues of illegal logging that have become rampant in the
last few years," he said.

Syafruddin also said that the government has to put a stop to
all legal activities in industrial forest plantations across
Java.

"If we assume that Java's forests are only 7 percent of
Indonesia's total forests, but they have to support the
livelihood of 60 percent of Indonesians, it's clear that they
have exceeded their capacity. The forests in Java must be
protected," he said.

The head of East Java's information agency Suprawoto claimed
that the Governor had coordinated with concerned parties, such as
the police, forest rangers and state-owned forestry companies, to
take stern actions against illegal loggers and to eliminate
forest exploitation.

Separately, the Malang Environment and Mineral Resources
Agency has temporarily shut down 10 mining sites during the rainy
season as they are prone to landslides.