Floods begin to affect various parts of Indonesia

In the run-up to the end of the year this week, the on-going rainy season has begun to trigger floods in various parts of Indonesia such as in Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that flash floods may happen in various vulnerable areas in the country, including Jakarta at the end of the year.

"There is snowstorm in Hong Kong where pressures on the earth surface will rise by 10 millibars, creating dry weather," Head of BMKG for climate change affairs Dr Edvin Aldrian told a discussion over the weekend.

He said that flash floods like that in Jakarta in 2007 could take place again in the capital city in January which could be detected by the advent of the cold surge or the Siberia winds blowing from the north to the south.

The cold surge factor will put enough pressures on Jakarta from the sea and from the atmosphere when local rains fall incessantly. This will be worsened by the Maden Julian Oscillation (MJO) phenomenon.

"The MJO is now changing to the wet phase which would increase water gas. Cold surge usually causes disasters if it comes at the same time as the arrival of the MJO phase," Edvin said.

Therefore, he warned that flash floods might hit the country, particularly Jakarta, at the end of the year or early in January.

Although significant flash floods have yet to take place in the capital city, flood waters have hit many areas in Indonesian islands such as Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

In Riau province in Sumatra for example, floods inundated seven villages comprising 1,151 houses in Kampar Kiri subdistrict, Kampar district on Monday as a result of incessant rain that caused three rivers to overflow their banks.

"Besides inundating residential areas and houses, the floods also inundated village offices, school buildings, plantations and other people`s properties," Kampar Kiri subdistrict head Febrinaldi said. The three rivers that overflowed their banks were the Subayang river, the Setingkai and the Seingingi river.

The floods in Riau have of late affected 1,151 houses, 1,283 families, 5,017 residents, 611 hectares of farmland, 184 hectares of agricultural land and 245 hectares of animal husbandry land.

The water surface of the Musi River in South Sumatra province has also increased affecting locals who reside at river bank areas over the past one week. Local resident Dani (36) of Ulu Laut village, Ulu Seberang sub district, Palembang, said residents in the river bank areas had been affected since in the last one week.

In the Bandung district, West Java, a legislator called on the local government to comprehensively solve the flood problem that occurred in the areas between the district of Sumedang and Bandung, so that it would not create new problem with the spatial planning.

"It should not be settled only partially," Cecep Suhendar of the Bandung district?s Legislative Assembly (DPRD) said.

He said the rain-triggered floods had taken place because a number of rivers in the area such as the Citarik, Jatinangor and other steams overflowed their banks because they could not accommodate the water volumes due to silting.

In Central Java, a flash flood swept through Windurejo village in Pekalongan district on Monday evening, leaving at least 14 houses seriously damaged. The flash flood occurred after a hill near the Gondok River collapsed, causing it to overflow and engulf nearby residences. The flood also inundated hundreds of other houses in the village.

By Monday night, heavy rains continued to fall in a number of areas in the district, forcing residents living in flood-hit areas to evacuate to higher ground. Chief of the Pekalongan police resort Adj Comr Habif said police, along with local people were trying to evacuate the affected people in the village.

Tens of other houses were also affected by floods as their areas were submerged by waters in Telang Housing Complex, Kamal sub district, Bangkalan, Madura, East Java, on Monday.

"The water in my house is knee-deep," said Bety Wirandini, a resident who was affected by the flood said. Bety who is also a member of the executive board of the Islamic Students Association of East Java said that the floods occurred because the sewage system did not function well.

Other areas in East Java affected by floods included those in Sidoarjo district such as Sidokare and its surroundings and Pucang Sidarjo. Dwi Retno, a resident in Sidokare said that rain had fallen over the past few days while rivers could not accommodate the water volume as a result of river erosion and silting.

In the meantime, floods also hit a number of areas in Sulawesi and Kalimantan. In South Sulawasi, rain showered the capital city of Makassar creating water inundation in a number of points with a water depth reaching the thigh-deep level. 

The Bung Housing complex and the Hamzi BTN housing which are situated near the Tallo River which overflowed its banks on Monday are among areas in Makassar which were affected by floods.

Legislator Iqbal Djalil of Makassar DPRD said the floods had taken place because, among other things, the drainage networks were not well integrated and connected so that water was not disposed to the sea.

In West Kalimantan, Pimpinan village about 300 km to the north of provincial capital Pontianak, was also affected by floods. Incessant rains on Sunday night sent a flood to the village with a water depth of about 50 centimeters.

"Rain has been falling since last night and until now it is still going on causing flood waters in Pimpinan village," Ridwan, a junor high school staffer in Pimpinan village, Teluk Keramat sub district, said.

He said that tens of houses had been inundated by flood waters.

Besides, several sections of the West Kalimatan Northern Highways were also inundated as a result of water overflows over the past two days. 

Secretary of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) for West Kalimantan Dr Nursyam Ibrahim called on the people of West Kalimantan to keep on alert over pestilence outbreak after floods.

"Almost all parts of West Kalimantan are affected by floods of late. So, we call on the people to be alerted over a possible outbreak of pestilence which is caused by rats," Nursyam said

Source: ANTARA