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.