IN CURRENT TRANSITION PERIOD, FLOODS, LANDSLIDES STILL THREATEN INDONESIA by Fardah

    Jakarta, April 11, 2013 (Antara) - A number of Indonesia's provinces such as East Java, West Sumatra and Aceh, have been hit by floods and landslides which were triggered by incessant heavy rains and killed more than ten people, since the beginning of April 2013.

         As the country is in the period of transition between the rainy and dry season, the government has warned people living in flood-prone areas in particular to be on alert for floods and landslides

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         "Floods and landslides still occur, therefore people must remain on alert," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said in Jakarta on April 9, 2013.

         "I have asked BNPB (the National Disaster Mitigation Agency) and regional disaster mitigation offices as well as related institutions to rapidly respond to and handle flood problems," he said.

         BNPB earlier reported that floods and landslides have hit at least 11 districts throughout Indonesia lately. The flood-affected sub districts are Bandung and Garut in West Java Province; Bojonegoro, Madiun, Tuban, Sampang, and Pasuruan in East Java; North Mamuju in West Sulawesi; Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra;  Pandeglang in Banten; and several districts in Aceh Province.

         "Although we are currently entering the transition period between the rainy season and dry season, several Indonesian regions are still experiencing floods and landslides," BNPB Head Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

         The agency has set up emergency command posts and public kitchens. It has also distributed relief aid for flood and landslide victims.

         Rescue operation has been carried out by the agency with the assistance of military and police personnel as well as the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)'s volunteers.

         On Java Island, Bengawan Solo River, the island's longest river, has overflowed and submerged many districts as the water is passing through Central Java and East Java Provinces toward downstream.
    At least six people, respectively one in Ngawi (Central Java,), three in Bojonegoro and one in Tuban (East Java) were killed in the Bengawan Solo flooding.  
    Floods have submerged a total of 1,157 houses in Laren and Babat Sub-districts, Lamongan District, East Java Province since April 9, 2013 due to the overflowing Bengawan Solo.

         In Laren alone, 613 houses in nine villages were flooded, Mohammad Zamroni, a spokesman of the Lamongan district administration said in Lamongan on April 10, 2013.    
    Some 544 houses in three villages in Babat were also inundated, according to data of the Lamongan disaster mitigation office (BPBD).

         In Gresik District, also East Java Province, hundreds of houses have been flooded in Bungah and Dukun Sub-districts.   The floodwaters reached a height of between 40 cm and 50 cm, Tosikin, the head of Dukun Sub-district, said in Gresik on April 10, 2013.

         The two sub-districts are flooded almost every year because Bengawan Solo River passes these areas when flowing downstream.

         An old woman died after being swept away by Jabon River current in Tuban. In Soko and Parengan, around 450 houses were inundated as Bengawan Solo River overflowed. In Madiun, more than 500 houses flooded.

         Bengawan Solo River also flooded at least 109 villages in 14 sub-districts in Bojonegoro, East Java, affecting around 8,454 families and displacing 2,364 people.

         In Central Java, floods inundated some 6,889 houses in Blora and Grobongan Districts and five villages in Demak District.

         The flood-affected villages in Demak are  Mijen, Jleper, Ngelo Kulon, Pecuk, and Pasir. Mijen Sub-district Head Sugiyarto said the number of displaced people is increasing as the water lever has continued rising on Wednesday evening.

         Some 600 families in Pecuk Villages were evacuated to safer places on Wednesday evening. Evacuation process will also be carried to more move 200 families in Mijen, 1,344 families in Jleper, and 630 families in Ngelo Kulon.

         Floods have also hit Sampang, Madura Island, East Java, over the past three days, and killed five people.

         Head of the Sampang Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) Imam Sanusi said 14 villages in Sampang were flooded and five people including a teacher were swept away by the water current.

         Thousands of houses and public facilities such as schools and tens of hectares of rice fields were submerged under water in Sampang Sub-district.

         On Sumatra Island, the district of the Mentawai islands, West Sumatra Province, has been declared in a status of emergency for 10 days after big floods swept through four sub-districts on the Siberut isle.

         "We have seen that the areas have been badly devastated by the floods, the worst ever in the islands district," District Head Yudas Sabaggalet said in Mentawai recently.

         The flooding hit the sub-districts of Siberut Utara, Siberut Selatan, Siberut Tengah and part of  Siberut Barat Daya. Around 10,000 residents of Siberut Isle were displaced, according to Elisa Siriprang, a spokesperson of Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Mentawai Islands.

         Another province being badly stricken by floods is Aceh, northern Sumatra Island. Some 12,314 families consisting of 47,579 people were affected by floods in 10 sub Districts or 108 villages in West Aceh District.

         In another Aceh's district of Sigi, where several villages have also been inundated but bad weather has hampered efforts to distribute relief aid by a helicopter.

         Flood has cut off Manggalami Village, Palolo Sub-district, Head of the Sigi Disaster Mitigation Office Resmin Rasse said in Sigi on April 10, 2013.

         Relief aid distribution and evacuation process could be done only by helicopters and the efforts were hampered by extreme weather, he said.

         In East Kalimantan Province, at least 1,110 hectares of rice fields were damaged by floods reaching a height of up to three meters, in Paser District.

         "Floods destroyed more than 1,000 hectares of rice fields belonging to local farmers, including 500 hectares of them were ready to be harvested at Maruat Village and another 500 hectares in Sebakung Taka Village," Head of the Paser Farmers' Association Irma Jaya said in Samarinda.

         The inundation also damaged 50 hectares of rice fields in Sebakung Makmur, 30 hectares in Rantau Belimbing and another 30 hectares in Sebakung, Irma Jaya added.      
    Among flood-affected villages in Paser are Muara Toyu, Muara Pias, Munggu, Mendik Kampung, Longkali, Sebakung, Sebakung Taka, Sebakung Makmur, Maruat and Bente Tualan.

         Bente Tualan Village was cut off and paralyzed by flood that has inundated houses, schools, community health centers and roads since the past week.

         Heavy downpours triggers flooding that inundated hundreds of houses and schools in Tabalong District and South Hulu Sungai District, South Kalimantan Province, forcing thousands of local residents to flee to higher grounds.

         Schools have been closed since Sunday in the sub-district of Tanta as a number of rivers are still overflowing their banks sending swelling water across wide areas, Noraini, the Luk Bayur village chief said on April 9, 2013.

         Deputy District Head of Tabalong Muchlis said  all villages near the Mangkusip and Tabalong rivers were hit by flooding.  Floods also still put wide areas under water in the sub-districts of Murung Pudak, Tanjung, Haruai, Muara Uya  and  Kelua in the district of Tabalong.

         Meanwhile, in Central Sulawesi Province, two bodies of flood victims were found by a search and rescue (SAR) team on Tuesday, in Sausu River, Parigi Muotong District, which is 25 km away from their village.

         The victims identified as Eti, 40, and Eko, 13, were swept away in flood hitting their village nine days ago (April 1, 2013). When the incident happened, actually six people were stricken by strong water current, but four managed to rescue themselves.
    A number of houses, tens of hectares of rice fields, cacao and coffee plantations were also flooded in Parigi Muotong.

         Floods have also hit South Bandung, Bandung and Pandeglang Districts in West Java Province, over the past few days.

         The inundation displaced at least 6,345 people in South Bandung, and 3,550 people in Bandung. In Pandeglang, floods inundated 1,400 houses while landslides buried 12 houses and destroyed two bridges in Labuan, Patia, Mandalawangi, and Teluk Sub Districts.

         Earlier this year, the disaster mitigation agency's spokesman had warned that a total of 60.9 million people live in Indonesia's 315 districts/cities that are prone to floods, and 124 million others in landslide-prone 270 districts/cities.***4***
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(T.F001/A/Bustanuddin/Bustanuddin) 11-04-2013 17:03:55