Aidi Yursal, Nurdin Hasan, Nurfika Osman & Antara Jakarta Globe 2 Apr 11;
Floods resulting from days of high-intensity rains have wreaked havoc in Sumatra, Java and Papua, forcing thousands of residents from their homes.
In Medan, North Sumatra, waters from the rain-swollen Babura, Deli, Bederah and Denai rivers had inundated thousands of houses since early Friday, residents there said.
The floods, which also affected some parts of neighboring Deliserdang district, followed heavy rains since Thursday afternoon.
Acin, a guardian at the Gunung Timu Buddhist temple some 300 meters east of the North Sumatra governor’s residence, said that water levels in the temple reached a depth of two meters.
Medan officials said that 4,000 residents were affected by the flooding. “We are deploying teams in rubber boats to evacuate residents affected by the flood,” said Hadi Tugiman, head of the North Sumatra Search and Rescue Agency.
Hendra Suwarta, of the North Sumatra Meteorology office, blamed the flooding on unrelenting heavy rains.
In West Aceh, the overflowing Woyla and Pante rivers have forced some 3,500 people to evacuate to higher ground, an Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) official said on Friday. Rains have continued to fall in the region in the past week and the floods reached more than one meter deep in at least two subdistricts in West Woyla and Pante Ceureumen, said Iskandar, head of the West Aceh PMI.
“The flood has not yet receded,” Iskandar told the Jakarta Globe, adding that unless the rain halted, more subdistricts may be hit with floods.
PMI, he said, had begun distributing food to evacuees but added that distribution as well as evacuation efforts were restricted because of the small number of boats available.
Temporary tent shelters have been erected at two locations in West Woyla while in Pante Ceureumen the evacuees were sheltering at a local mosque and smaller houses of worship
In Papua’s Paniai district, which has been flooded for about three weeks, four bodies were recovered on Friday, a week after the speed boat they were traveling in was overturned by a strong wave in the rain-swollen Paniai lake. On Wednesday, the bodies of six people killed in that flood-related accident were recovered.
Paniai district chief Naftali Yogi said the ceaseless flooding of the past three weeks was attributable to heavy rains in the region over the last three months that swelled Paniai lake to bursting.
So far, the town of Enarotali and 10 subdistricts have been inundated, seven of which are under water as deep as two meters.
More than 100 meters of runway at the Paniai airport were also under water, according to Yogi. He added that the airport was still functioning. The boat jetty in Paniai lake, however, was destroyed by the floods.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), said on Friday that the institution has donated Rp 500 million ($57,500) for the Papua flood victims.
“The Paniai local government also has distributed humanitarian aid to some 6,000 evacuees in the district,” Sutopo said, adding that a team made up of BNPB, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Social Affairs officials was already at the site.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, East Java Governor Soekarwo declared eight subdistricts in Gresik as disaster areas due to heavy flooding that occurred there after the Lamong River burst its banks.
Soekarwo said that provincial authories had earmarked Rp 167 billion in funds to widen and dredge the Lamong river between 2011 and 2013.
Part of the funds would also be used to build two dams, embankments and water catchment areas, he added.
