Flooding Paralyses Access to Eight Villages in Tapin Regency

Rantau, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Flooding has once again inundated a section of the national road in Tapin Regency, South Kalimantan Province, causing activities in eight villages in the regency to be temporarily paralysed.

Tapin DPRD Commission I Chairman Rustam Nawawi stated that emergency evacuations were carried out using two vehicles owned by a mining company from 2:00 p.m. local time until the road was deemed passable for two-wheeled vehicles.

The flooding occurred in the Bitahan Baru Village area following heavy rain that lashed the Tapin region from around 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. local time. Water overflowed, covering the road surface and forcing two-wheeled vehicle riders and minibus drivers to stop, fearing their vehicles would stall.

As a result of the flooding, he said, the mobility of residents from Piani Subdistrict to Rantau Town and vice versa was disrupted.

“Some residents were even forced to wait for the water to recede by the roadside, as they did not dare to cross,” he said.

Rustam noted that flooding on that road section recurs every time heavy rain falls.

According to him, the situation is worsened after an alternative road access previously used by residents was closed and has not been replaced with adequate infrastructure.

“The most affected are the residents of eight villages in Piani Subdistrict, as their access is disrupted every time heavy rain occurs,” he said.

Rustam hopes that the mining company operating in the area will take responsibility for the impacts felt by the community, including reopening alternative access and building a bridge with a higher elevation so that the main route does not flood when water levels rise.

“Residents hope that the local government together with the mining company will soon take permanent steps, as the connecting route to Piani Subdistrict is frequently paralysed every time heavy rain hits Tapin,” he stated.