Floods hit Central Java

Floods hit Central Java

SEMARANG: Thousands of houses in several cities of Central Java were submerged following six hours of heavy rains on Monday. No casualties were reported.

In Semarang, one-meter deep water inundated Jl. Pandanaran, Jl. Gadjah Mada, Jl. Depok, and several other roads, blocking the traffic and creating panic among residents who feared the water would rise even higher.

The Juana and Wulan rivers in Kudus overflowed and inundated hundreds of houses and at least 600 hectares of rice fields. The Undaan district of the city, with a population of 630,000, was the worst stricken.

In the ancient city of Surakarta, the well-known Bengawan (River) Solo also overflowed and flooded several villages alongside it. Thousands of people left their homes and sought shelter on higher ground.

In Pekalongan, also Central Java, thousands of houses in the subdistricts of Grobogan, Kramatsari, Krapyak, Bendan and Sapura were also inundated in water as high as one and a half-meters on Monday. Traffic on some main roads was halted and cars were queued up for as long as 10 kilometers, Antara reported. (har/swe)