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)