Floods kill 2, displace 71,000 in Riau

Haidir Anwar Tandjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau

Floods in the Riau regencies of Pelalawan and Indragiri Hulu in the past week have killed two people and displaced 71,000 others.

A flash flood claimed the life of Intan, a three-year-old child, who was ripped from her mother's grasp as she was being bathed near Skip Hulu village, Indragiri Hulu regency on Saturday.

Sutoyo, a resident of Skip II village, was swept away by the same river after suffering an epilepsy attack on Sunday.

"The deceased were recovered on Sunday," Indragiri Hulu administration spokesman Yazri Fitra told The Jakarta Post by telephone on Monday.

He said the incessant rain had flooded 2,650 homes and thousands of hectares of farmland and plantations in the regency, displacing 71,000 people.

"Most people from 25 villages submerged by the flooding have left ... they are still recovering from the floods that hit the regency three months ago," he said, referring to flooding that killed four people and damaged thousands of hectares of farmland and plantations.

He said most of the villagers were evacuated to Rengat town, about 350-kilometers east of Pekanbaru where many were being accommodated in emergency tents erected by the police and military.

The provincial administration said here on Monday that it had dispatched food and medical relief to all affected areas.

Despite the transition to the dry season, rainfall remains high.

Traffic along an 80-kilometer section of the Trans-Sumatra Highway connecting Pekanbaru and Jambi has been impossible for the last three days with expectations the flooding will not abate for another five days. Traffic is being diverted through West Sumatra, adding several hours the journey.

At least 200 buses and trucks were trapped in Pangkalan Kerinci district, Pelalawan, due to the overflowing Kampar River.

Several other sections of road in the regency were also submerged.

The flooding has also affected the operations of pulp mills belonging to PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper and Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper as hundreds of logging trucks cannot reach the mills.

Meteorology and Geophysics Agency spokesman Marzuki, based in Pekanbaru, said rainfall in the province had averaged 93mm per day over the last 10 days. Average rainfall for this time of year is about 60mm per day.

The rainfall was caused by lower than normal air pressures, already saturated land and widespread deforestation, he said.

Marzuki said conditions were expected to ease this week ahead of the dry season beginning at the end of the month.

Last week, heavy rainfall led to flooding and mudslides that killed at least 56 people in the East Nusa Tenggara province.

The disaster was worst in the province's island of Flores, where nearly all of the victims died. The flood and mudslides caused extensive damage to hundreds of houses and thousands of rice fields and plantations. It also paralyzed Flores' land transportation and disrupted its water and electricity distribution networks.