ANNUAL FLOODS HIT PARTS OF INDONESIA by Fardah

   Jakarta, Jan 16 , 2013 (Antara) - Typically, January and February are the peak months of the rainy season in Indonesia, which mostly results in flooding across several parts of the country.

        The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNBP) reported that, currently, the floods have affected several areas in Sulawesi, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Java Island.

        The North Sulawesi Province is the worst affected by the floods. Over the last two days, 16 people died, three went missing, and at least 40 thousand residents displaced as the aftermath of flooding.

        Some areas of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city, have also been flooded over the past five days, claiming five lives and displacing almost three thousand people.

        In response to the flooding problem, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a plenary meeting on Thursday (Jan. 16) which was attended by ministers and other high-ranking officials to discuss the mitigation efforts for disaster management.

         In the meeting, the president received reports about the rescue efforts conducted by the BNPB and the weather forecast from the National Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) chiefs.

        BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated in a press release, on Thursday, that the floods had struck six districts in North Sulawesi:  Manado, North Minahasa, Tomohon, Minahasa, South Minahasa, and Sangihe Islands.

        "At least 13 residents were reported dead and two were missing, while another 40 thousand have taken refuge," he explained.

        Around one thousand residents from three villages in the North Minahasa district were isolated and cut off from road access due to floods and landslides.

        Landslides also buried several houses in the Sangihe islands.

        "Heavy downpours were triggered by a low-pressure system that developed over the southern Philippines waters, which resulted in the formation of intense clouds, while the low pressure over northern Australia caused massive cloud formation that moved towards the North Sulawesi region," he explained.

        In Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi Province, hundreds of houses were submerged in the flood waters reaching a height of 2.5 meters, following 11 hours of incessant rains on Wednesday. Four major rivers in the city overflowed, washing away dozens of houses and vehicles.

        "The flood waters reached a height of two meters in Ternate Tanjung. The roof of our house was submerged in water," remarked Herry Permata, a local inhabitant of Ternate Tanjung, Singkil.

         In the Tomohon district, at least two landslides occurred in Kinilow I and one landslide struck Tinoor, North Tomohon sub-district, reportedly burying dozens of people.

         "The land, where the house was constructed, suddenly slid down a 50-meter deep ravine. Dozens of people were dragged away and buried by the landslide," noted a local resident, Nelson Uada, whose 70-year-old father, Luade Uada, was among them.  Luade Uada, however, managed to survive the landslide, he claimed.

         The landslides also damaged sections of the road between Tomohon and Manado, following incessant rains and strong winds that lashed the areas since Tuesday.

         The Ministry of Social Affairs has planned to send another batch of relief aid to the victims of the flash floods in the North Sulawesi Province.

         "We will dispatch aid and assistance again, in the form of food, water, and clothing," Margowiyono, the director for natural disaster protection of the Ministry of Social Affairs, stated in Jakarta, on Thursday.

         The buffer stocks, to be used as emergency aid by the Ministry of Social Affairs, have been moved to the evacuation centers since last Wednesday night, he noted.

         "Since December 2013, we have dispatched Rp603 million worth of buffer stocks and assistance such as rubber dinghies to North Sulawesi's Social Affairs Service," Margowiyono claimed.

         In Palu, Central Sulawesi, flash floods inundated a number of residential areas, following incessant downpours since Wednesday evening (Jan. 15).

         The flood-affected areas include Lembu, Malaya,  Krajalembah, and Anoa II roads, as well as the Masomba market complex in  the South Palu sub-district, informed 45-year-old, Yoni, an inhabitant of Palu.

         Other Central Sulawesi's districts affected by the heavy rains are Tojo, Una-una, Poso, Morowali, Buol, Tolitoli, Donggala, Parigi Moutong, and Sigi, noted Aschadi of the local meteorological office.

         In Jakarta, continuous torrential rains over the last five days have triggered floods, forcing 5,125 Jakarta residents to evacuate to safer locations.

         Based on the agency's flood impact data, 7,367 houses were inundated affecting 24,269 people in Jakarta. At least 5,125 evacuees have been accommodated in 35 evacuation shelters across the capital.

         The height of flooding varied in several places, with four-meter-high flooding reported in the Cawang sub-district, Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.

          The four worst-affected areas in East Jakarta are Cawang, Cililitan, Bidara China, and Kampung Melayu.

          The government stated that weather modification was planned over Jakarta to redirect rains as a measure to avert flooding
     On Tuesday (Jan. 14) Syamsul Maarif, the BNBP head, stated at a press conference in Jakarta that the technology will be used to prevent  any further aggravation of the flood problem.

         "The BNPB has requested the technical unit of the Technology Application and Assessment Agency (BPPT) to conduct weather modification," he remarked.

         On the Sumatra Island, over the past several days, the floods have affected the Bangka District in the Bangka-Belitung Province and North Musirawas in the South Sumatra Province.

         Sinar Jaya in the Bangka District was the worst hit by floods, which wrecked several houses, roads, and bridges.

         Bangka District Head Tarmizi Saat noted that the current floods that struck numerous areas in the Bangka District, Bangka-Belitung Province, have occurred due to an imbalance in the natural ecosystem.

        "Environmental damage, heavy downpours, and strong river currents have triggered these floods, while the river basin areas are no longer effectively functioning as catchment areas," Tarmizi pointed out here on Thursday.

        In addition to the strong currents, silting of rivers also causes floods, he noted. He further urged the local inhabitants to avoid dumping any kind of waste in the rivers and also avoid deforestation as trees can help in absorbing water.

         In North Musirawas, South Sumatra, the flash floods triggered by incessant heavy rains submerged three sub-districts: Rawas Ilir, Karang Dapo, and Rupit, Sunardin, a spokesman of the North Musirawas sub-district administration, stated in Musirawas, on Wednesday (Jan.15).

         The floods submerged many houses and several public facilities such as community health centers and schools, thereby preventing students from attending school.

         The road link between Rawas Ilir and Muara Rupit was cut off as a result of the flooding.

         So far, there have been no reported casualties, but the floods have caused material losses worth millions of rupiah.

         The local authorities have distributed relief aid, mainly food, to the flood-affected victims.

         On the Kalimantan Island, hundreds of houses in the Teriti and Bekotok areas, Loa Ipuh Village, Kutai Kartanegara District, East Kalimantan, were inundated by the flood waters.

         Darmansyah, the head of the Local disaster mitigation agency (BPBD), reported that the flood waters had affected 880 families or 2,957 residents. The floods were triggered by torrential rains over the past several days.

         The floods were also triggered by a surge in the tidal waters of the Tenggarong River, which overflowed its banks, he pointed out.

         The BPBD has sent a rescue team to the location and set up command posts in Jalan Gunung Belah Loa Ipuh.

         In Central Kalimantan, floods inundated several villages in Muara Teweh, North Barito District, following incessant rains that triggered the overflow of the Barito River.

         "A number of roads and residential areas are flooded," Rizali Hadi, a Muara Teweh resident, stated on Wednesday.

         The flood waters reached a height of 50 centimeters. The Barito River's water level had risen, preventing large boats and barges from sailing across the river.

         At the onset of the rainy season in October 2013, the floods had also affected a number of provinces.

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(f001/INE/H-YH)