Flood sweeps through two regencies in Riau

Flood sweeps through two regencies in Riau

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau

The sporadic flooding in Riau over the last several weeks has
begun to sweep through Indragiri Hulu and Pelalawan, two large
regencies in the province, displacing more than 20,000 people and
paralyzing a section of the East Trans-Sumatra Highway.

Refugees in Indragiri Hulu increased from 130 families to 523
families as of Wednesday; in Pelalawan, the earlier figure of 50
families on Monday went up to 339 families on Wednesday according
to official figures.

Two elementary schools with around 350 students in Indragiri
Hulu are still closed since the earlier Jan. 7 flood. "We are
looking for a temporary place for them to study," Marjohan Yusuf,
the regency secretary, said.

The regency's head of the Social Welfare Agency, Syahril MR
said in Rengat, the regency's capital, that the flooding in the
last two weeks was worse than the flooding from Dec. 22 to Jan.
7.

"The latest estimate is that (the floods have affected) 13,113
people in 72 subdistricts and five districts. 2,135 homes have
been lost in the floods and around 523 families have sought
shelter in Rengat," Syahril said.

Alfitra, the public relations officer for Indragiri Hulu, said
so far around 1,888 hectares of farmland, including rubber and
palm oil plantations, were destroyed. More than 40 fish ponds
were also inundated and ruined when the Indragiri river
overflowed. Alfitra added that a 50-meter bridge and 250
irrigation structures were also destroyed apart from damage of
2,700 meters of road.

In Pelalawan regency, the Kampar river overflowed again and
forced residents of Pangkalan Kerinci district to flee in terror.

The regency's public relations officer Darwis Al Kadam said
the level of water was increasing in 15 subdistricts and five
districts -- Lannggam, Pangkalan Kerinci, Kerumutan, Taluk
Maranti and Pelalawan. Areas where water had reached one-meter
high were in the districts of Langgam and Pangkalan Kerinci, the
regency's capital.

In Pelalawan, three kilometers of the road to the east have
been disrupted in the area of Pangkalan Kerinci or 72 kilometers
from Pekanbaru. Traffic to Rengat must now pass the central part
through the Kuantan Singingi regency meaning a 10-hour journey
instead of five hours.

Darwis said that hundreds of trucks carrying timber heading
for the paper mills of PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper could not
reach their destination, likewise for other vehicles on the same
route. Given the rainfall, many other roads are predicted to be
impassable through next week.

Last Saturday four people, including three children, drowned
in the area. They were Ahmad, 5, Siti Aisyah bin Kisman, 6, from
Redang village in Rengat Barat district; Franki, 10, of Sungai
Kuantan village in Peranap district and Raja Amran, 53 of the
Pasir Kemilau village in Rengat district.

Earlier this month, a herd of wild elephants ran amok and
damaged hundreds of hectares of farmland and palm oil plantations
after they were angered over the inundation of their habitat.

The project officer of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in
the regency, Yuyu Arian, told The Jakarta Post that the floods
were caused by the destruction of the water catchment areas in
the forests.

"That is why the two areas are now prone to heavy flooding.
The impact would have been minimal if the forests weren't
illegally cut down. Local officials continue to issue illegal
concessions to timber companies without any concern for the
environmental impact," he said.

He demanded local officials to stop issuing exploitation
licenses to protect the fragile ecosystem in the area.