Flood inundate thousands of houses

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Several days of heavy rains have caused Mahakam River to overflow, inundating thousands of houses, Antara reported yesterday.

No casualties have been reported but the estimated loss incurred, along with the damage in roads and crops, has reached hundreds of million of rupiah.

Most of the affected houses are located on Jl. Pemuda and Jl. Remaja, where water levels reached a meter high, halting traffic in the area completely.

A resident on Jalan Pemuda said he could not remember when such a flood had happened. He blamed the disaster on deforestation, which has damaged many catchment areas. (08)