Floods threaten to cut off food supplies to Riau

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.