Minister warns of La Nina-induced floods

Minister warns of La Nina-induced floods

JAKARTA (JP): The government has warned that La Nina-induced
floods will threaten many Indonesian provinces, even as it
admitted that the country has poor flood control contingency
plans.

Minister of Public Works Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo said after
a lecture in Semarang on Wednesday that established flood control
projects covered less than 10 percent of the areas vulnerable to
flooding. "But we'll keep on working to cope with the threat with
whatever resources are available," he was quoted by Antara as
saying.

In Yogyakarta on Tuesday, the director general of water
resources development in the Ministry of Public Works, Budiman
Arief, told the 11th Congress of the Asia-Pacific Division of the
International Association for Hydraulic Research that 13 of
Indonesia's 27 provinces are particularly vulnerable to La Nia-
induced flooding.

"La Nina may bring floods to 13 provinces. The probability of
that happening is over 60 percent. We are beginning to see the
symptoms. There are already significant flow increases in rivers
in those provinces," he said.

He said the rainy season would come early in Lampung, Riau,
South Sumatra, Bengkulu, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, East
Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan and
Central Kalimantan. "All residents of those provinces must
prepare for flooding," he added.

Rachmadi said his ministry has established flood task forces
in the 13 provinces. "We are organizing units to monitor changes
in the weather, to predict floods, and to provide information to
the public and relevant institutions about impending flooding,"
Rachmadi said. "We will also provide equipment needed to overcome
flooding."

Rachmadi also called on local administrations and communities
to be prepared and to anticipate the threat posed by La Nina-
induced flooding. He declined to mention the size of funds which
were required for the program, but said the routine budget was
being augmented with assistance from the World Bank, the Asian
Development Bank and the Japanese government.

Also on Wednesday, Antara reported that three people died in a
flood in Luwu regency, South Sulawesi, in late August. The flood
also damaged thousands of hectares of paddy fields and community
plantations, causing an estimated Rp 200 billion (US$16.7
million) in damage.

The flood occurred following heavy rains between Aug. 24 and
Aug. 27 which caused the Rongkong and Binuang rivers to burst
their banks in Sabbang, Baebunta and Malangke districts,
according to provincial spokesman A. Baso Machmud.

The flood washed away 16 houses and damaged hundreds of other
buildings, including eight mosques, five churches and a number of
schools and village health centers. Two bridges were also badly
damaged, cutting off traffic from Sabbang and Baeubunta.

Hundreds of hectares of paddy, cacao, oranges, spices and
other crops were also damaged.

Also on Tuesday, Budiman said the government plans to
establish a national water council which will be in charge of
implementing the national water resources policy. The policy
covers issues such as water conservation management, fiscal
efficiency on water resources development and management, and
administrative efficiency in water resources agencies.

"Water management problems in Indonesia are getting more
complicated. Indonesia is facing serious water problems that need
a multisectoral approach to resolve," he said.

The public works ministry will also establish a national water
resources data base, which will include data on surface water and
groundwater resources and water use records. (23/swe)