Torrential Rains Cause Flood Havoc in Northern Sumatra

The Jakarta Globe, November 06, 2012


Medan. Days of heavy rains have swollen several rivers in northern Sumatra, flooding thousands of homes in two provinces over the weekend, officials and residents said on Monday.

In North Sumatra, the torrential downpours led to flooding in the districts of Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai and Mandailing Natal, while in Aceh the floods affected Bireuen district.

In Deli Serdang, the rain-swollen Batu Ginging, Kuala Namu and Ular rivers burst their banks, inundating some 1,200 houses in floodwaters up to three meters deep.

“The waters have now receded and people are starting to clean up, but we are still worried that more floods will come,” Aswadi Siregar, a resident of the hard-hit subdistrict of Syamad, said on Monday.

He added that the floodwaters were two meters deep on Sunday and on Monday, the sky was still heavily overcast.

“Our area is often flooded because we’re on the banks of a river, but it’s never been this bad. We hope the government can tackle this flooding problem so that the people don’t suffer anymore,” he said.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said the floods hit neighboring Serdang Bedagai district early on Sunday and have since affected six villages there.

“Some 1,842 houses have been inundated. However, there have been no reports of casualties so far,” Sutopo said.

The BNPB’s North Sumatra office is coordinating with the district-level disaster mitigation agencies to provide initial emergency response and relief.

A central coordinating post overseeing five field posts, including soup kitchens and medical outposts, has been set up.

Several regions across the country have been hit by flooding in the past three months due to unseasonal heavy rains.

In September, massive flooding caused by torrential rain, followed by a landslide, killed four people in several areas across West Sumatra, including in the Tabing Banda Gadang, Ulu Gadut and Limau Manis areas of Padang. Hundreds of homes in the three subdistricts were inundated.

In August, 16 people were killed in a flood in Ambon, Maluku, where officials said 2,000 people in the city were displaced after torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides.

Flash floods also hit the slopes of Mount Leuser in Aceh during that period, killing at least two people and damaging 70 homes. Also in August, two people were confirmed killed and hundreds forced to evacuate after flash floods hit Palu in Central Sulawesi. Two others were swept away in the floodwaters and are feared dead.

Environmentalists have blamed the severity of the flooding and landslides on the rampant illegal logging taking place across the country, arguing that the practice allows the denuded topsoil in hilly areas to be washed away more easily.