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.