Flooding, landslides hit Java, Sumatra islands

Flooding, landslides hit Java, Sumatra islands

Puji Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru

After the prolonged dry season, rain has begun falling in various
areas across the archipelago over the past few days, leading to
landslides and flooding.

Hundreds of residents of Pekanbaru had to abandon their homes
on Monday after floodwaters rose to a depth of one meter in
several parts of the city. Meanwhile, a landslide took the life
of one person in Dairi regency, North Sumatra, while another
damaged a number of houses in Jember regency, East Java province.

Tengku Bahdar, a resident of Meranti Pandak subdistrict,
Pekanbaru, Riau province, called on the government to quickly
provide food aid and establish emergency medical posts to help
residents cope with the flooding.

Food was running short and ailments such as diarrhea and
respiratory infections had begun to spread, he said.

Due to the flooding, the residents had been forced to seek
shelter in the houses of relatives and public buildings such as
schools.

Responding to the demands from local residents, the head of
Rumbai Pesisir district, Noverius, said that the district
government would soon dispatch medicines and food supplies to the
residents. Meanwhile, Pekanbaru Mayor Herman Abdullah promised
that the municipal government would soon set up refugee camps and
public kitchens in safer areas.

The flooding in Riau province spread to Rokanhulu regency a
few days ago, claiming one live and inundating hundreds of
houses, plantations and paddy fields.

The Rokanhulu flooding has cost local people and the
government Rp 5.3 billion (US$588,888), said Syamsi Sani, the
director of the Social Welfare Office in the Rokanhulu regental
administration.

In North Sumatra, a landslide hit Sunbul subdistrict in Dairi
regency, some 200 kilometers from Medan, killing a resident and
injuring several others.

The landslide buried two houses on Sunday, killing Netty
Habeahaan, 48, who was inside one of the houses. Several other
residents were able to escape, although they suffered minor
injuries, Antara reported.

A landslide also buried a number of houses in Jatiroto Lor
subdistrict, Jember regency, later on Monday, but no fatalities
were reported. The landslide occurred after heavy rain had been
falling in the area for the past week. Local people had to flee
to safety for fear of another landslide.

Sujak Hidayat, a senior government official in the Jember
regency administration, said that the government would soon set
up a disaster management team to monitor the landslide threat.

In Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan, main
thoroughfares in the city were flooded after two-days of rain.
The flooding led to widespread traffic congestion in the city.