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.