As La Nina brings disaster, misery, demand for climate action grows by Fardah

 Jakarta, Feb 15, 2021 (ANTARA) - Hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods, landslides, and whirlwinds, have been simultaneously witnessed in several parts of Indonesia during the peak rainy season this year owing to the development of the La Nina phenomenon.

The phenomenon, which has been developing since late last year and has triggered heavier than normal rainfall, is likely to continue until March.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), a total of 372 natural disasters have struck Indonesia since January this year and left 216 persons dead and 12,056 others injured.

The natural disasters comprise 227 floods, 66 whirlwinds, 60 landslides, seven earthquakes, seven high tides or abrasions, and four forest fires, according to BNPB data, updated as of February 9, 2021.

The data also indicates 4,452 homes have incurred serious damage, 5,336 houses have suffered moderate damage, 37,569 houses have incurred light damage, and 357,365 houses have been flooded, leading to the displacement of 1,769,309 people to safer areas.

The natural disasters have also destroyed 1,290 public facilities and left at least seven people missing.

The major disasters that have occurred in January this year include landslides in Sumedang, West Java, on January 9; a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in West Sulawesi on January 15; and, massive flooding in South Kalimantan, starting January 12.

In early January, torrential rains and unstable soil triggered a series of landslides in Sumedang, which left 19 people dead, 11 others missing, 18 injured, and displaced over one thousand local residents. Rescuers were also among the deceased.

Indonesia enters 2021 with "abnormal" natural disasters by Fardah

  As a country located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is prone to natural disasters such as volcano eruption, earthquake, and tsunami, and hence its residents must be prepared for that.

Moreover, the world’s largest archipelagic country is strategically located between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, that could induce extreme wet (La Nina) or dry seasons (El Nino) weather and ocean-related phenomena that could trigger flooding, drought and forest fires.

One of the worst disasters hitting Indonesia in modern history was the deadly tsunami which devastated Aceh Province and Nias Island (North Sumatra Province) on December 26, 2004, which killed around 200,000 people and rendered about one million others homeless. The tsunami was triggered by a powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

In addition, since March 2020, Indonesia has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected a total of 1,134,854 people and claimed 31,202 lives as of February 6, 2021. World-widely, nearly 106 million people have been infected by, and over 2.3 million others succumbed to the pandemic, which had never been predicted.

While entering 2021, Indonesia has to face other natural disasters besides the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country had been stricken by a total of 197 natural disasters during the January 1-23 period, according to data of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Most of those disasters were hydrometeorological disasters comprising 134 floods, 31 landslides, and 24 whirlwinds, that had claimed 184 lives, injured, 2,700 people, rendered nine people missing, and affected or displaced 1.9 million others.

Compared to January 2020, during the same period, BNPB recorded 297 disasters affecting across Indonesia, particularly massive flooding in Jakarta and surrounding areas, and claiming 91 lives.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned of likely hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides and whirlwind, occurring simultaneously in several regions during the peak of the ongoing rainy season, which usually begins in September or October and ends in March or April.

"Since October 2020, the BMKG has issued early warnings of potential extreme weather-related conditions due to various phenomena that are feared to coincide with the rainy season," BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati said recently.

INDONESIA BRACES FOR LA NINA-INDUCED HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DISASTERS by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 23/10 , 2020 (ANTARA) - The onset of monsoons in most Indonesian regions in September have also triggered flooding in several provinces, including Jakarta, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, West Java, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, and West Sumatra.

Indonesia, with monsoon and dry seasons, is prone to natural disasters, and usually some 75 percent of the disasters are hydrometeorological in nature, such as flooding, landslides, and strong winds.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that during the period from January to Oct 17 this year, Indonesia had recorded 2,276 natural disasters.

The hydrometeorological disasters comprised 827 floods, 637 whirlwinds, and 416 landslides.

The disasters affected 4.5 million people, with 307 individuals losing their lives, 25 persons going missing, and 469 people sustaining injuries. In addition, the disasters caused light, moderate, to serious damage to 35,176 houses and 1,481 public facilities.

The agency also recorded a total of 321 forest and land fires and five volcanic eruptions over the period of time.

In connection with non-natural disasters, chiefly the COVID-19 pandemic, until Oct 23, Indonesia had reported 381,910 confirmed cases, and 13,077 COVID-19 patients had succumbed to the infectious disease.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that La Nina natural phenomenon is currently developing until the end of this year, and its impact, notably rainfall, with high precipitation, will peak in January and February and gradually end in March and April 2021.

La Nina, known for causing torrential downpours and widespread flooding across the country, is expected to increase rainfall by nearly 40 percent throughout the country.

INDONESIA'S WEATHER IS A STUDY IN CONTRASTS by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 27/8/2020 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is preparing anticipatory measures against extreme weather events as it is prone to hydro-meteorological disasters, such as flooding, landslides, and whirlwinds, in the rainy season and wildfires or severe drought during the dry season.

Rains and dry spells often occur at the same time in different parts of the world's largest archipelagic country, which is spread over more than 16 thousand large and small islands.

These unique weather and climate dynamics can be attributed to Indonesia's territorial location around the equator as well as it being flanked by two oceans (the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean) and two big continents (Asia and Australia), Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) explained recently.

This uniqueness is apparent from the contrasting weather or climatic conditions witnessed in the country. Even as several areas are experiencing drought, others are receiving extreme rains.

While the dry season has set in in most of Indonesia's southern regions, high rainfall is still likely in the equatorial regions, according to the BMKG.

ENVIRONMENTAL LESSON TO LEARN FROM FLOODING IN SOUTHEAST SULAWESI

Senin, 24 Jun 2019 20:49

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 24/6 (Antara) - Parts of Indonesia have begun to experience extreme dry season that causes water crisis, while other parts still have rains with high precipitation leading to major floods in Samarinda (East Kalimantan Province), Morowali (Central Sulawesi), and Konawe and North Konawe Districts in Southeast Sulawesi Province.

Flooding in Morowali District recently destroyed four bridges and caused extensive damage to over 10 homes, and affected more than 16 thousand people in three sub-districts.

In Samarinda, East Kalimantan, floods affected 9,358 families constituting 30,580 people living in of North Samarinda, Sungai Pinang, and Samarinda Ulu sub-districts.

Triggered by torrential downpour, floods inundated seven sub-districts in North Konawe District since June 2, resulting in the Lalindu, Walasoko, and Wadambali rivers overflowing their banks. Andowia, Asera, Landawe, Langkikima, Oheo, Wiwirano, and Motui are the seven affected sub-districts.
Flooding in the worst-affected North Konawe reportedly caused financial losses amounting to Rp674.8 billion and led to the displacement of 9,609 people and affected 18765 others, Ruksamin, the North Kunawe district head, stated.
The flooding destroyed four bridges and 370 homes along with inundating four other bridges, 1,962 homes, five mosques, 14 elementary schools, five junior high schools, a senior high school, 17 kindergartens, three traditional markets, and at least four community health centers, as well Trans-Sulawesi highway.

NEWS FOCUS -- ACCELERATING RESCUE OPERATIONS IN FLOOD-HIT SENTANI

Jakarta, 23/3, 2019  (Antara) - Indonesia has been hit by at least two major floods during this current transitional period from the rainy to the dry season, as high precipitation still occurs in several regions.

Floods have been reported in the provinces of West Java, East Java, Lampung, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, and Papua, among others. But East Java and Papua have been the worst hit by major flooding over the last several weeks.

In East Java, on March 5, 2019, floods triggered by heavy rains and the overflowing of several rivers, had inundated 15 districts and displaced nearly 12.5 thousand people, mostly in Madiun. Despite the widespread inundation, there were no reports of casualties.

In Papua, however, deadly flooding devastated Sentani and several other sub-districts in Jayapura District, and killed at least 112 people and rendered 94 others missing on March 16, 2019.

The natural disasters caused serious injuries to 107 people and minor injuries to 808 others.

A total of 374 homes, four bridges, five places of worship, eight school buildings, 104 home-cum-shops, and a traditional market were damaged. Furthermore, the natural disasters led to the displacement of 11,556 people.

The Papua provincial government has declared an emergency response period from March 16 to 29, 2019.

The Government has deployed a joint team comprising military and police personnel, among others, to continue search and rescue operations for the victims of the floods in Jayapura. Tens of NGOs have also volunteered in helping the rescue operations.

"Since yesterday evening, our volunteers have helped carry out evacuation, assessment and mud clearance in Sentani," ACT coordinator Kusmayadi said in a statement, one day after the disaster occurred.

They also distributed some 1,000 packets of cooked food for the flood victims, and set up an ACT humanitarian command post and a public kitchen in Sentani.

As 94 people were still missing one week after the flooding, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) held a coordination meeting to discuss efforts to expedite the handling of the impact of the flooding in the countrys eastern most province.

NEWS FOCUS -- EAST JAVA ACCELERATES FLOOD MITIGATION EFFORTS by Fardah

Jakarta, 13/3, 2019 (Antara) - Indonesia is currently transitioning from rainy to the dry season that usually begins in April or May.

However, high precipitation still occurred in several regions and triggered flooding in the provinces of West Java, East Java, Lampung, East Nusa Tenggara, and South Sumatra, among others.

In East Java Province, floods, triggered by heavy rains and the overflowing of several rivers, had inundated 15 districts, since March 5, 2019.

The 15 flood-affected districts included Madiun, Nganjuk, Ngawi, Magetan, Sidoarjo, Kediri, Bojonegoro, Tuban, Gresik, Pacitan, Trenggalek, Ponorogo, and Lamongan.

In Madiun, the worst affected by flooding were 39 villages in eight sub-districts that were inundated, as the Jeroan River spilled over its bank.

Flooding affected 4,317 households, comprising over 17 thousand people; seriously damaged two homes, three dykes, and two bridges; submerged 253 hectares of rice fields; and swept away tens of cattle, goats, and poultry.

The Caruban-Madiun toll road section, spanning from KM 603+600 to KM 604+000, was also disrupted by the floodwaters for 24 hours this week.

Madiun District Head Ahmad Dawami has declared an emergency status for the period from March 6 to March 19, 2019, following the flooding. The letter, declaring the emergency status, was signed by the Madiun district head on March 6.

"Everyone concentrates on flood victims. The district administration has established disaster command posts in every flood-affected sub-district. Community health centers are also on standby," Dawami stated.

SOUTH SULAWESI HIT BY WORST FLOODING IN LAST DECADE by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 26, 2019 (Antara)- The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned of possible flooding as the country is currently in the peak rainy season, but the devastation caused by widespread flooding and landslides hitting South Sulawesi has shocked the nation.

             Flash floods believed to be the worst in the last decade affected 106 villages in 61 sub-districts in 13 districts and cities in South Sulawesi Province. The 13 districts and cities were Jeneponto, Maros, Gowa, Makassar, Soppeng, Wajo, Barru, Pangkep, Sidrap, Bantaeng, Takalar, Selayar and Sinjai.

            So far, 59 were dead, 25 missing, 47 injured and 6.596 displaced due to flooding and landslides in the province. Besides, the natural disasters damaged 10 bridges, 79 homes, two traditional markets, 12 places of worship, 22 school buildings, and submerged 4,857 homes, as well as 11,876 hectares of rice fields.

            Jihadul Arifin, one of the Makassar flood victims, recalled how the flash flood took him and the other residents of Antang residential area in Manggala Sub-district by surprise as flood waters reaching a height of 1.5 meters suddenly hit the housing complex.

             "This flood is different from floods in the previous years. The flood waters were suddenly very high," Jihadul Arifin, an inhabitant of Antang housing complex, said on January 23, 2019.

            The water current was very strong and it reached the height of an adult's chest, he added.  
  The flash flood came from Gowa District, which shares a border with Manggala Sub-district, after the Bili-Bili dam was opened, he noted.

             He said him and other flood victims did not have time to save their belongings because the flash flood came without any warning on January 22 at around 4 p.m. local time.

            "Other residents and I are now taking refuge at a mosque. We need food, clothes and blankets," he said.

FLOODS STRIKE SUMATRA AS RAINY SEASON BEGINS by Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 18, 2018 (Antara)- Rainy season has begun in some parts of Indonesia, particularly on Sumatra Island, but the dry season has continued in other regions, such as on Java Island and East Nusa Tenggara.

        Such a weather phenomenon is quite normal in Indonesia, as the country is prone to hydrometeorological disasters, such as flooding in rainy season and wildfires or severe drought during the dry season.

          In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), for instance, 11 districts have been hit by the severe dry season. The districts, which include East Manggarai, Nagekeo, Ende, Lembata, East Sumba, Rote Ndao, Kupang, North Timor Tengah, Malaka, and Belu, have received no rains for more than two months.
   In Central, East and West Java Provinces, wildfires, triggered by severe dry weather, hit forest areas on at least nine mountains, but local authorities managed to extinguish the blazes.

         Among the affected mountains were Mount Merbabu, Mount Sumbing, Mount Slamet, and Mount Sindoro in Central Java Province; Mount Argopuro and Mount Sadran in East Java Province; Mount Ciremai in West Java Province; and Mount Lawu located on the border of the provinces of Central and East Java.

         On Sumatra Islands, however, floods triggered by incessant downpours have inundated several provinces, including Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau.

         In Langkat, North Sumatra, floods submerged rice fields measuring 118 hectares in Stabat and Binjai Sub-districts, while Sei Blengking river spilled over its bank, said Miswandi, a local agriculture officer.

         Additionally, seven hectares of corn fields, located in Banyumas and Kwala Bingei villages in Stabat, were also flooded.

        The local agriculture office has deployed several officers to monitor the conditions of flood-affected farming areas in Langkat, and to help local farmers.

FLOODING FORCES THOUSANDS OF JAKARTANS TO EVACUATE by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 7 , 2018(Antara) - Parts of Jakarta have been inundated since Feb 5 following heavy rains in the capital and the neighboring city of Bogor, which always sends flash floods to the downstream areas of the metropolitan city.

          Floods have led to the forced evacuation of a total of 6,532 people in East and South Jakarta on Feb 6. 
     The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has in fact warned of flooding in several regions across Indonesia during rainy season.

        The agency forecast that hydrometeorological disasters are forecast to be dominant in Indonesia in 2018.

         "It is forecast that natural disasters in 2018 will be dominated by floods, landslides, and whirlwinds. It is estimated that 90 percent of the natural disasters would be hydrometeorological in nature," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the BNPB, warned in Jakarta, in December 2017.

         The rainy and dry seasons are expected to be normal this year. There will be no El Nino, which could cause drought, nor La Nina, which could trigger excessive rains.

        "However, floods, landslides, and whirlwinds will remain dominant, but their locations will depend on the intensity of precipitation," he noted.

        Flooding in Jakarta was particularly triggered by the overflowing of Ciliwung River from Bogor and six other rivers passing through the capital city following incessant, heavy rains on Feb 4-5.

         The Bogor and Jakarta authorities announced the highest disaster alert level on Feb 5 when the water level at the Katulampa Dam in Bogor touched 240 centimeters (cm) at 9:05 a.m. local time, as the Ciliwung River swelled significantly following incessant rains in the river's upstream areas since the previous day.

INDONESIA FACES SEVERE WEATHER WARNING by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 4, 2017(Antara)- Severe weather has hit several regions in Indonesia, triggering hydrological natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, huge sea waves, and strong winds, that have affected thousands of people during the current rainy season.

         Cyclones, which are quite rare in the country, have also built up lately, with Cempaka and Dahlia cyclones becoming the famous ones.

         Several provinces that have been hit by natural disasters include Aceh Darussalam, Yogyakarta, East Java, Central Java, West Java, North Sumatra, Batam, West Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, and Riau.

         Few of those regions, such as Yogyakarta, East Lombok, Pekalongan Sidoarjo, and Kulon Progo, have declared emergency alert status because of the hydrological natural disasters.

         Karangasem District in Bali Province has also declared an emergency status due to eruptions of Mount Agung, forcing thousands of people to evacuate to safer places.

         On Nov 28, the Yogyakarta Special Autonomous Provincial Administration has declared an emergency alert status following natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, and whirlwinds, which hit Bantul and Kulon Progo.

         The National Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency had reported that extreme weather will continue for three days, but Yogyakarta has declared an emergency status for two weeks, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, the governor of Yogyakarta, has stated.

         The decision to declare the emergency status was taken during a coordination meeting on disaster mitigation, attended by officials of the Yogyakarta disaster mitigation office.

JAKARTA REMAINS FLOOD ALERT UNTIL MARCH by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 27 , 2017 (Antara) - Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta is always flooded during peak rainy season annually and now is still prone to flooding.

        This year, extreme weather is forecast to bring heavy rainfall that could cause floods until March.

       Widespread flooding hit at least 54 areas and submerged thousands of homes in the metropolitan city following incessant downpour on Feb 20 and 21, 2017.   
  Some 11 of the 54 flood-hit areas were in South Jakarta, 29 in East Jakarta, and 14 in North Jakarta. 
   Floodwaters reached up to 30 centimeters in height in Grogol; up to 1.5 meters in height in Gunung Sahari; and up to 2 meters in height in Cipinang Melayu. Flooding was also reported in Kelapa Gading, Kemang, Kebayoran Baru, and Cawang.

          The flooding disrupted traffic and caused congestion on several roads, according to information from the Jakarta Police's Traffic Management Center.

         In Cipinang Melayu, East Kalimantan, over 900 flood victims took refuge in Borobudur University's mosque.

         A total of 304 schools located in Central, North, West, South, and East Jakarta were inundated on Feb 21, forcing their temporary shutdown.

          In Central Jakarta, flooding affected 45 elementary schools, 12 junior high schools, 4 senior high schools, and 3 vocational high schools.

INDONESIAN FLOODING SPREADS TO MORE AREAS by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 17, 2017 (Antara) - As forecast by the National Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysic Agency (BMKG), the rainy season in Indonesia has peaked in February, triggering hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and landsides in several provinces.

          In the last few days, floods have been reported in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, West Kalimantan, North Maluku, Banten, and North Sulawesi, among others.     
     Floods in Jakarta since February 15, have hit 7,788 people, or 3,393 households, following incessant rainfall that caused the Ciliwung River to spill over its bank.

          "Heavy downpour in upstream and central areas of Ciliwung River triggered flooding along its bank in Jakarta," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBN), said in a statement.

           Flood waters, reaching a height of up to 1.5 meter, submerged several areas in East Jakarta, such as Cawang, Cibubur, Rambutan (Ciracas Sub-district), Cililitan, Kampung Melayu, and Bidakara Cina (Jatinegara Sub-district).

           In Cirebon, West Java, floods have hit seven sub-districts, following incessant rains that caused several rivers to swell and overflow, leaving thousands of homes inundated.

         Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus, spokesman of the West Java Police Office, here, Thursday, confirmed the natural disaster in Cirebon on February 14.

INDONESIA BRACES FOR HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DISASTERS IN EARLY 2017

Jakarta, Jan 12 , 2017(Antara) - Floods and landslides have hit several Indonesian provinces, such as West Nusa Tenggara, Aceh Darussalam, West Sumatra, and East Kalimantan, over the last several weeks, with the worst one devastating Bima and claiming four lives.

         Natural disasters, in fact, have been forecast by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as the country is currently being affected by La Nina natural phenomenon, known for causing torrential downpours and widespread flooding across the country.

         The people should remain vigilant against hydrometeorological disasters during the January-April and November-December 2017 period, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the BNPB spokesman, had cautioned in December 2016.

         Major flash floods had inundated Bima, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on December 21-23, 2016, killing four people and causing severe damage to property.     
    Flash floods have hit Bima City and four sub-districts in Bima District, Sumbawa Island, on December 21. Furthermore, subsequent flooding as high as one to three meters had occurred in Bima City on December 23.

         The floods had inundated 33 sub-districts in NTB's five districts, home to a total of 105,000 people. The flooding was triggered by incessant heavy rains that also caused at least two rivers to break their banks. 
    The flash floods had also washed away 121 houses and damaged dozens of other residences, forcing 1,300 people to flee their homes.        

INDONESIA RECORDS HIGHEST NUMBER OF NATURAL DISASTERS IN 2016 -- by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 31, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia was battered by 2,342 natural disasters in 2016, the highest in the past 14 years, making it one of the most violent years in recent memory.

         According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the number of natural disasters increased by 35 percent during 2016 from 1,732 in the previous year, with flooding, landslides and whirlwinds still dominating.

            As many as 522 people were killed, and some three million others were affected or displaced in the disasters, which also damaged at least 70 thousand houses. The nation lost tens of trillions of rupiahs due to the catastrophes.      
      Ninety-two percent of the natural disasters that hit Indonesia during the year were hydro-meteorological in nature -- floods, landslides, and whirlwinds.

           The country was stricken by 766 floods (up 52 percent from 2015), 612 landslides (up 19 percent), and 669 whirlwinds (up 15 percent).

          Flooding claimed 147 lives and affected 2.72 million people. Landslides killed 188 people, an increase from 135 in 2015.

          "Natural disasters have caused a lot of suffering, mostly among the poor," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman of BNPB said in a statement issued on Dec 29, 2016.    
      "Surveys in several regions show that the poor people have suffered more because of the natural disasters. Imagine, those living along Bengawan Solo River have been hit by floods five times a year, and in Sampang (Madura) 15 times a year, on average," he said.

INDONESIA BRACING FOR FLOODS, LANDSLIDES AS RAINY SEASON PEAKS by Fardah

 Jakarta, Oct 29, 2016 (Antara) - Moderate to high intensity rainfall will hit areas across Indonesia this November.

          South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatera, Banten, West Java, Jakarta and surroundings, Central Java, East Java, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua and Papua Provinces will witness rainfall.

        The country is, however, expecting the rainy season to peak in January and February 2017, especially in Jakarta and its suburban areas, according to the Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

         Therefore, the agency has urged people living in disaster-prone areas to remain vigilant and prepared to deal with any disaster and prevent casualties.

          BMKG Chief Andi Eka Sakya explained that rainfall has been 50 percent of the normal this year, though because of natural phenomena such as Dipole Mode and La Nina, the country has been experiencing high intensity rainfall.

          "Besides, there is monsoon (a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation), and there is also a tropical cyclone and low pressure in the region," he noted.

        Despite the La Nina, the peak rainy season in January and February 2017 is forecast to be less wet than that in early 2016, BMKG Deputy in Charge of Meteorology Yunus Swarinoto said.

         However, it tended to last longer, according to Mulyono R Prabowo, head of the Public Meteorology Center of BMKG.

RELIEF AID, EQUIPMENT RUSHED TO VICTIMS OF GARUT FLOODING by Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 22, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia is in mourning following the tragedy in Garut District, West Java Province, where flash floods have led to at least 23 deaths and left 18 others missing, four seriously injured, and 27 slightly wounded.

         The natural disaster that displaced more than one thousand people, was triggered by incessant heavy rains, which caused the Cimanuk and Cikamuri rivers to overflow on Sept. 20 evening.

         Dr Slamet Public Hospital, Tarogong Kidul police office, main roads, school buildings, and residential areas were submerged by floodwaters, which reached a height of up to two meters in one area, according to an eye witness.

         The flood-affected sub-districts included Bayongbong, Garut City, Banyuresmi, Tarogong Kaler, Tarogong Kidul, Karang Pawitan, and Samarang. 
     Search efforts are still underway for the missing people, involving a joint Search and Rescue Team, which includes officers of the local Search and Rescue office (Basarnas), the Regional Disaster Mitigation office (BPBD), the military and the police, as well as Red Cross agents and volunteers, according to spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.  

BANDUNG FLOODS CONSIDERED WORST IN 10 YEARS by Fardah

Jakarta, March 16, 2016 (Antara)- Floods have spread to wider areas across Indonesian provinces in the last few weeks, with the worst flood striking early this week in Bandung District, West Java Province.

         The Bandung floods have left two dead and three missing, as the Citarum River overflowed following incessantly heavy rains, which began March 8.

         The downpours caused flooding in 15 regions in Bandung District,  Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said in a statement on March 13.

         Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan visited flood victims on March 14. The minister inspected a public kitchen set up to feed the victims, to ensure that it had adequate supplies.   
    The flood-affected regions include Cicalengka, Rancaekek, Cileunyi, Solokan Jeruk, Majalaya, Ciparay, Baleendah, Dayeuhkolot, Bojongsoang, Pameungpeuk, Banjaran, Arjasri, Cangkuang, Katapang and Kutawaringin.

JAKARTA BRACES FOR FLOODING DURING PEAK RAINY SEASON by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 13, 2016 (Antara) - The Jakarta administration is intensifying efforts to normalize sewage systems in the capital city as the rainy season is forecast to reach its peak in February.         In early February, floods reaching a height of up to 120 cm. inundated 20 neighborhoods in South and East Jakarta municipalities.         "Pumps were used to drain water. Gradually, the floodwaters are receding," spokesman of the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD Bambang Suryaputra said February 4.           In East Jakarta, flood-affected areas included Cawang, Kampung Melayu and Bidara Cina, and in South Jakarta it was Pejaten Timur, Pengadegan, Rawajati, Kebon Baru, and Bukit Duri.          Following the incessant downpour on February 12, the Ciracas Police Complex was flooded, Jakarta's Police reported on its official Twitter account  @TMCPoldaMetro in the evening.         Penggilingan Baru and Kampung Pulo areas in East Jakarta were also inundated.

FLOODS SPREAD TO WIDER AREAS IN SUMATRA, JAVA by Fardah

   Jakarta, Feb 11, 2016 (Antara)- With the ongoing rainy season peaking, flooding and landslides have hit 166 districts and municipalities in several provinces, including West and North Sumatra; Riau, Jambi, Aceh, Bangka Belitung; West, East, and Central Java; and West Kalimantan.

       Of the 166 regions, 103 were flooded, and 63 others were hit by landslides, spokesman of the Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Nugroho Sutopo informed the press in Jakarta on Feb. 10, 2016, regarding the natural disasters that had occurred from January 1 to February 8, this year.

        During the period, floods killed 14 people, injured four others, and forced 102,219 people to seek refuge. 
  Landslides left 29 dead, injured seven, and forced 395 people to flee their homes.