Floods threaten to cut off food supplies to Riau

Haidir Anwar Tanjung and Kasparman, The Jakarta Post, Riau/Jambi

Floodwaters spread to other areas in Riau, threatening to cut off food supplies to the province from neighboring West Sumatra as the flooding was likely to submerge the only alternative road connecting the two regions.

Buses, trucks and others vehicles traveling from Riau to West Sumatra have been rerouted since Tuesday to an alternative route that runs through Kiliran Jao, located about 20 kilometers from Pekanbaru, Riau, after a landslide cut the Riau-West Sumatra highway at Tanjung Alai village in the regency of Kampar.

On Tuesday night however, flooding began to inundate Taratak Buluh village in Kampar, which is close to Kiliran Jao.

Should the Kampar River continue to overflow, it could submerge the route to West Sumatra through the Kiliran Jao alternative road, local residents said on Wednesday.

"If the flood worsens at Teratak Bulu, all the roads connecting Riau and West Sumatra will be cut off. If this happens, Riau will become isolated from supplies of basic commodities that usually come from West Sumatra," said Zakirman, a resident in Pekanbaru.

Some 50,000 people in Rokan Hulu regency fled their homes to safer areas on Tuesday as flooding occurred in at least 27 villages in three subdistricts.

At least 74 houses located near the Rokan Kanan riverbanks were reportedly swept away by the floods. No casualties were reported on Wednesday.

The refugees stayed at temporary accommodations and the houses of their relatives in nearby areas, while floodwaters gradually subsided on Wednesday. The route connecting the town with South Tapanuli began to return to normal after being crippled for one day.

Husein Nong, spokesman for the Rokan Hulu administration, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the floods resulted from deforestation and illegal logging in the Bukit Barisan forest and the Mahato forest reserve.

He said the refugees from the 27 affected villages had anticipated the floods, the worst in Rokan Hulu since 1976, days before the disaster hit the town.

"When the floodwaters began to rise, they had to abandon the villages. Thus, the floods did not claim any lives," Husein added.

Floods also have been plaguing the neighboring province of Jambi since last Saturday, forcing almost 10,000 families in at least 62 villages in the regency of Kerinci to flee to safer areas.

Many refugees stayed at flood emergency posts established by the local administration, while others took refuge at the houses of their families in Kerinci and other accommodation on Wednesday.

Floodwaters in Kerinci reached between one and 1.5 meters high, and at least 13 bridges were swept away by the floods, which inundated more than 3,000 houses, 24 schools and 15 mosques across the regency.

More than 1,400 hectares of farmland ready for harvest were also affected as the Batang Maron River overflowed following the continuing rains.

Jambi Governor Zulkifli Nurdin visited the affected areas on Wednesday and provided Rp 100 million in humanitarian assistance for the victims.