Experts warn of more floods and landslides

Experts warn of more floods and landslides

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Experts say the floods that submerged thousands of houses in the provinces of Central Java, Lampung, Bengkulu and South Sulawesi, and the landslides that claimed over 40 lives in those provinces are just the beginning of the disasters the country may suffer during the November-March rainy season.

A team of experts from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and the National Aeronautical and Space Institute (LAPAN) said here Monday that 20 provinces were prone to floods, 15 of which were also vulnerable to landslides.

The experts, who monitored areas across the country using satellite data, called on regional administrations to follow up its report to prevent or minimize the disasters.

The 20 flood-prone provinces are: North Sumatra, Riau, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, West Sumatra, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The 15 regions susceptible to landslides are: Aceh, North Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bali, South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, NTB and NTT.

Already, at least three people were killed and 38 houses destroyed when floods and landslides struck Aralle village in Polmas district, South Sulawesi, on Sunday.

Last Friday, the bodies of at least 10 victims were found after landslides swept through Gunung Kemala village, in the Karya Penggawa subdistrict of West Lampung. Another 50 people were injured in landslides.

Earlier this month, a mudslide killed at least 26 people in the Padusan hot springs in the Pacet resort of Mojokerto, East Java.

"The recent floods and landslides are just the beginning. There will be more and more natural disasters during this rainy season," said BMG meteorologist Endro Santoso, who is also a member of the natural disaster mitigation team at the State Ministry of Research and Technology.

Jakarta is also prone to flooding, and although the BMG predicted that Indonesia would experience floods this rainy season, they will not be as heavy as the flooding early this year. The BMG will monitor the weather and rainfall in Jakarta daily.

Erna Sri Adiningsih of LAPAN called on regional administrations to be alert to possible natural disasters in their regions.

She also said people must be provided information to detect and combat disasters stemming from floods and landslides.

The establishment of monitoring posts and instruments to measure rainfall was also important to help detect the disaster, she added.

Erna also suggested that regional governments should start putting together a detailed topographic map of their regions to help them anticipate natural disasters, as well as develop their districts.

"We need a map with a scale of at least 1:50,000, a map that will clearly show an aerial view of a subdistrict," she said.

Some flood-prone areas in Java: Pandeglang, Cirebon, Pekalongan, Demak, Pati, Kudus, Yogyakarta, Bojonegoro, Tuban, Lamongan, Gresik, Surabaya.

Areas liable to landslides: most parts of Banten, southern part of West Java, most parts of Central Java, several locations in East Java.