Floods inundate over 200 villages in Riau province
Floods inundate over 200 villages in Riau province
JAKARTA (JP): The floods striking two regencies in Riau
province inundate more than 200 villages, claiming three lives.
"Floods submerge 159 villages in Indragiri Hulu regency
alone," Y. Kadar Sulaiman, a flood control officer for the
Indragiri Hulu administration, said yesterday.
He told The Jakarta Post in an telephone interview that the
flood had claimed the lives of three men and damaged 2,605
buildings, including 145 schools, 152 mosques, nine Public Health
Centers. He also said 21 bridges had collapsed.
Sulaiman said the worst-affected subdistrict is Rengat, with
26 out of 34 villages inundated. Flood waters reached up to two
meters in most areas.
He said that the flood also damaged more than 1,000 hectares
of rice and non-staple food crops.
Up to yesterday afternoon, a total of 10,382 residents had
been evacuated from the flood-stricken areas.
Head of the Riau office of the Ministry of Social Services
Hanafiah said the flooding also had struck Kampar regency,
submerging 59 villages in nine subdistricts. They are the Koto
Kampar, Bangkinang, Kampar, Rambah, Kunto Darussalam, Tandun,
Siak Hulu, Langgam, and Bunut subdistricts.
He said that about 5,000 residents had been evacuated from
those subdistricts alone.
The flood water in the nine subdistricts have subsided from
over one meter to around 75 centimeters, he said.
Hanafiah estimated that the flooding, which started last week,
has caused damage of Rp 5 billion (US$2.2 million).
He said that the local administration had delivered 7.2 tons
of rice for the flood victims in the two regencies.
More floods
In West Sumatra floods hit Sawahlunto Sijunjung regency over
the weekend, inundating 50 hectares of rice fields, the Kompas
daily reported.
The flooding, which was caused by the overflow of the Batang
Palaki river, about 175 kilometers east of Padang, the provincial
capital, also damaged 80 irrigation system waterwheels.
In Jambi, the Batanghari River has overflowed to six meters
higher than its normal stage. It has submerged rice fields and
houses in Bungo Tebo and Batanghari regencies.
Spokesman for the Jambi administration Fuad M. Yusuf said his
office had not yet received any reports on the extent of the
damage.
"Local administration officers have been ordered to stay alert
and anticipate any worsening condition," Fuad was quoted by
Antara as saying.
Flood also hit Cirebon in West Java, but no serious damage was
reported, Kompas daily reported.
However, the head of Kapetakan subdistrict, Jayusman, told the
Post that the situation in his region remained normal and stable.
"It is not true that Kapetakan was hit by the flood," he said.
A normal situation was also reported in Lemahabang subdistrict
in Cirebon regency. Diding Suherman, subdistrict head of
Lemahabang, said no rice fields or houses there had been hit by
floods.
Diding, however, said that rescue workers were still looking
for two who were missing in the Cimanis River. Nine people were
saved from the overflowing river on Tuesday.
They are now in good health," he said.
He said that the nine were carried away by the current when
they tried to cross the river. (imn)