Floods could hit Kalimantan

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Several cities in the province could be vulnerable to severe flooding during the coming rainy season because of the poor condition of water catchments, particularly those located along the Mahakam river, an official said yesterday.

"Illegal logging and forest fires have severely damaged water catchment areas in the Mahakam river basin," head of the provincial Environmental Impact Management Agency, Awang Farouk, said.

Fires in the early part of this year destroyed at least 543,000 hectares of forest, he said.

"What is more tragic however is that most of the areas burned were water catchment areas.

"We predict that some cities in the province, including Samarinda, will be heavily flooded when the rains come later this year," he added.

Water quality in the Mahakam river is also deteriorating, he said.

"There are 25 companies engaged in coal mining, and plywood and glue production along the course of the Mahakam. These companies have caused pollution levels in the river to rise considerably," he said as quoted by Antara. (mds)