Nine die as flooding swamps Blitar

Iman D. Nugroho and Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya

Nine people have been killed during flooding over the past three days in Blitar regency, East Java province, and as yet there is no sign of when the flooding will subside as rain was still falling on the area on Saturday.

Meanwhile, various ailments have started affecting the people who have been taking refuge on higher ground since Thursday, sparking concern among local residents.

As of Saturday evening, seven out of the nine people who died had been identified. Four of them came from Kademangan district, while three others came from nearby Sutojayan district, both of which have been severely affected by the flooding.

"There are also two other unidentified women found dead in Sutojayan, but we are unable to identify them," said an official at a medical post in Sutojayan district, as quoted by Antara.

Separately, an official at a disaster management post reported that nine people receiving treatment at the post.

All these people were senior citizens, who were receiving treatment after their body temperatures dropping alarmingly, said Suhardi Waluyo, the coordinator of the flood management post.

Besides the human fatalities, the floods have also left thousands of head of livestock dead in Kademangan district. Chicken breeders in the district have lost 31,000 chickens due to the severe flooding, inflicting losses of some Rp 770 million (US$85,555). The flooding has also swept away 28 houses and damaged 35 others in the area.

The electricity was out and so to were telephone communications with the outside world, adding to the misery being suffered by local residents. Flooding hit Sutojayan and Kademangan districts after the Bogel and Brantas Rivers overflowed due to heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sutinah, a resident of Kademangan district, said that it was the worst flooding ever in the district.

"The floodwaters are chest deep in some areas. This is the worst flooding I've ever seen in my life," said Sutinah, 76, who had taken refuge on higher ground in the district.

Blitar Regent Imam Muhadi blamed indiscriminate logging for severe flooding in the regency. Rampant illegal logging had denuded watersheds in the north of the regency, leading to flooding and landslides.

Illegal logging has been going on in the regency since 1998, when former iron-fisted president Soeharto stepped down from office, which lead to a subsequent increase in lawlessness.

An official at the Surabaya branch of the Meteorology and Geophysics Office (BMG) warned that Blitar residents should be on the watch for more flooding and landslides as heavy rain would continue in the area for the next three days.

Edi Waluyo, the director of the BMG's Perak Maritim office in Surabaya, said that rain and gusts of between 50 kilometers and 60 kilometers per hour would continue to hit Blitar and surrounding areas, including Tulungagung, Trenggalek and Pacitan, over the next three days (until Tuesday).

Meanwhile, some residents in emergency camps in Sutojayan district, have begun to complain about the spread of various ailments, including respiratory infections and diarrhea.