Heavy Rainfall Causes River to Overflow, Flooding Multiple Residential Areas in Semarang

Semarang (ANTARA) - The Semarang City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in Central Java has reported that several residential areas in the city have been inundated by flooding caused by the overflow of the Babon River following heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas.

BPBD Semarang City head Endro P Martanto said on Monday that the flooding had affected a number of residential estates, namely Argo Residence, Grand Batik Semarang, Grand Permata Tembalang, Dinar Indah, and the RW 1 area of Rowosari subdistrict.

“Flood levels were recorded at up to 150 centimetres, chest-height for an adult. This was reported on Monday at 02:00 Western Indonesian Time. Thankfully, the waters have begun to recede, with some areas already down to 20-30 centimetres,” he said.

He explained that the flooding was caused by rainfall of moderate to high intensity across Semarang City. “The drainage system was unable to handle the volume of rainwater, causing water to overflow into residential areas,” he said.

He noted that the Babon River’s water discharge was also high due to flows from the upper catchment area, including Ungaran, which was also experiencing heavy rainfall.

Dozens of residents were affected by the flooding. At Argo Residence in RT 7 RW 7, some 25 households comprising 80 individuals were affected, along with those in RT 8 RW 7. At Grand Batik Semarang, 13 households totalling 33 individuals were impacted, whilst at Grand Permata Tembalang, 63 households comprising 138 individuals in RT 8 RW 3 and 47 households comprising 175 individuals in RT 9 RW 3 were affected.

The flooding at Grand Permata Tembalang also forced a number of residents to evacuate to the Iktifal Al Barokah Mosque, with 18 people displaced including 12 adults and six young children.

Meanwhile, the flooding at Dinar Indah estate in RW 26 Meteseh affected 26 households totalling 34 individuals in RT 6, whilst the RW 1 area of Rowosari subdistrict saw approximately 200 households comprising 500 individuals impacted.

The BPBD Semarang City is continuing to monitor and observe the areas still affected by flooding, and is carrying out assessments and evaluations of flood victims. The most pressing needs at present include post-flood clean-up operations, logistical support for affected areas, and clean water supplies.