Floodwaters again cripple Java-Bali highway

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While floodwaters continued to recede in some parts of the country on Tuesday, flooding worsened in other areas, claiming more lives, forcing thousands of residents to flee and again cutting off the Java-Bali highway.

In the East Java town of Situbondo, flooding damaged the Kali Sampean embankment, submerging roads leading to the resort island of Bali at a depth of more than one meter.

The highway was also covered by a 50-centimeter deep deposit of mud and detritus, bringing traffic to a standstill. It had returned to normal on Saturday after being closed twice.

"The highway had been reopened earlier, but because the flooding returned it had to be closed again. All vehicles have been ordered to take an alternative route through Probolinggo to Banyuwangi," Situbondo Police Chief of Traffic Unit Adj. Comr. Abdurahman told The Jakarta Post.

At least four more people were killed in the flooding caused by heavy rains on Monday night, which also swamped hundreds of houses in Situbondo. Some were destroyed and others damaged.

Floodwaters had earlier inundated the Pasir Putih area and later spread to the city's center, including Jl. Jendral Sudirman and Jl. Yos Sudarso. The Situbondo police office and other government offices, the city's general hospital and schools were also flooded.

Flooding also hit at least five villages in the neighboring town of Jember, where the water level reached a height of one to two meters after the Rambipuji river burst its banks.

"The evacuation of victims is underway. They will be housed in mosques and other safe places," head of the Rambipuji subdistrict Sunarto said.

The death toll from landslides and floods in Bali rose to 13. A further eight people were injured. Eight people were killed in Bulelang regency, two in Gianyar and one in Klungkung.

To prevent more casualties, the Gianyar regency administration temporarily prohibited local residents from working in landslide- prone areas such as river banks.

"Gianyar Regent Tjok Gde Budi Suryawan has instructed all heads of subdistricts, villages and sub-villages to supervise and temporarily stop people's activities in dangerous areas," spokesman for the regency administration I Wayan Artana said on Tuesday.

However, he said four villagers in Susut subdistrict defied the ban and went ahead with work on the banks of the Petanu river in Kemenuh village. Two of them were later buried in a landslide, he said.

The Bangli regency government took a similar step, appealing to local residents to be more careful by avoiding dangerous areas during heavy rains.

I Made Sukarma, spokesman for the local administration, said his office had not banned digging activities as most villagers worked on flat areas deemed safe from possible landslides.

"Sand and pebble digging activities continue as usual but all drivers are advised to be more cautious when driving on high- level streets in the Kintamani area," he added.

Floods that had inundated many roads along the northern coastal area of Central Java, including Pekalongan, Kudus and Batang, began to recede on Tuesday.

About 2,500 victims who fled to safer areas in Pekalongan and Kudus on Monday returned to their homes. At least one resident died after drowning in the Kali Gelis river, some 40 kilometers from Semarang.

However, rescue workers and environmental activists were searching for the body of Supriyanto, a 35-year resident of Singocandi village in Kudus, by sweeping the river.

"The search will continue until tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. We have also contacted the Demak district police office to help find the victim as the river flows through the regency," Kudus Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Lutfi Lubihanto told the Post.

Four other villagers also fell into the river but survived after being rescued by local residents.

The traffic leading to Jakarta via the cities gradually returned to normal after being crippled on Monday.

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) office in Semarang on Tuesday distributed aid packages, including rice and instant noodles, used clothes and blankets to flood victims in Batang regency.

The flood in Batang followed the overflow of the Kali Sambong river due to heavy rains on Monday night. About 2,600 houses were affected and 16,000 villagers fled to mosques, village halls, schools and other safe areas as waters reached a height of one to two meters.