The Jakarta Post 8 Mar 16;
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecasted that West Kalimantan will likely see heavy rainfall and strong winds in the next seven days.
Pontianak-stationed BKMG officer Sutikno said on Monday that the agency had predicted rain with medium to heavy intensity would occur in the province’s 14 cities and regencies.
“While strong winds with speeds of 25 to 40 knots per hour will likely happen in the afternoon along the western-coastal areas that include Ketapang, North Kayong, Kubu Raya, Mempawah, as well as Pontianak and Singkawang,” he said.
Sutikno reminded residents to avoid taking shelter under shade trees during strong winds or heavy rain.
Sri Sujiati, the city’s head of Sanitation and Parks Agency, said that they had pruned old shade trees that posed risk to residents.
“We regularly prune shade trees, and we always monitor the field when heavy rain and strong winds occur,” she said.
In Kapuas Hulu, around 600 kilometers from Pontianak, the Kapuas River has begun to overflow due to the downpour in the past two days.
“Houses are still safe as most are stilted-wooden houses, but the roads in the villages and subdistricts have been inundated,” said the head of Kapuas Hulu Disaster Mitigation Agency, Abdul Halim.
