Mudslide kills one, injures another in Poso

Mudslide kills one, injures another in Poso

Ruslan Sangadji and Apriadi Gunawan, Palu/Medan

A man was killed in a mudslide in Sanginora subdistrict, Central
Sulawesi, on Tuesday, while a heatwave reaching 37 degrees
Celsius hit the North Sumatra capital, Medan, and neighboring
towns over the last four days.

Poso regental administration spokesman Abdul Haris Rengga said
on Wednesday the dead victim, Bastian Rabatu, 48, from Kasiguncu
village, Poso Pesisir subdistrict, together with a friend, Yusuf,
was riding on a motorcycle during heavy rain.

They were traveling from Sanginora to Kasiguncu when a sudden
landslide buried both of them.

Bastian was killed, while Yusuf suffered a broken arm and leg.
"He is now being treated at the Poso general hospital, while
Bastian has been buried by his relatives," said Haris.

In the meantime, flood victims of Pakuli, Simoro and Tuwa
villages in Sigi Biromaru subdistrict, Donggala regency, Central
Sulawesi, have since Wednesday morning begun returning to their
homes as floodwaters have started to recede.

Gumyadi, vice chairman of the Central Sulawesi Natural
Disaster and Refugee Management (PBP) task force, confirmed many
evacuees had returned to their homes.

According to him, PBP data showed that even though their
houses were full of mud, none were destroyed. "The only things
damaged are hundreds of school textbooks and facilities at the
Pakuli state elementary school, because they were immersed in
water and covered in mud," he said.

Most severely hit was the Alkhairaat Islamic elementary
school, where a computer, 180 textbooks, stencil equipment,
sports equipment and visual aids were totally destroyed, he said.

The PBP task force will send a damage report to Jakarta to
obtain immediate help. "We are now completing the written report
to be sent to the governor, who will then forward it to the
central government," Gumyadi said.

Meanwhile, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) station
at Polonia Airport, Medan, stated that, based on satellite
imagery, a rise in air temperature had caused fires in 28
plantation areas in Asahan and Labuhan Batu regencies.

Head of the agency Firman said on Wednesday that the
possibility of more fires in plantation areas would be imminent
if the temperature in North Sumatra continued to increase.

Extensive fires in plantation areas usually occurred during
the dry season, he said.

"Unscrupulous speculators most often take advantage of the dry
season to clear land for plantation use by setting fire to it.
This happens every year, exacerbating the situation," he told The
Jakarta Post.

Medan BMG reported that the greatest number of hot spots
recorded was in 2001, when more than 500 plantation areas were
set alight, causing heavy smoke to envelop North Sumatra and
beyond, extending to neighboring countries, disrupting land, sea
and air traffic.

This year, to prevent such occurrences, the provincial
government has urged plantation owners and the community not to
clear away plantation land by burning and has reminded them to be
aware of the dangers of forest fires.

Firman said that high temperatures starting this May would
continue until August but, despite that, it did not mean that
there would not be any rain in the months ahead.

On Tuesday night, whirlwinds hit several homes in Perumnas
Mandala, Medan, but there were no casualties in the incident.

"During the month of May, rains followed by strong wind could
possibly occur in several areas, but from June to August the
province may be hit by a long drought," said Firman.