The Jakarta Post, Makassar, Tuesday, July 16 2013
Floods swept have through four regencies in South Sulawesi, sweeping away one person and inundating tens of thousands of homes.
Wajo, one of four inundated regencies, has suffered the most. At least 23,000 houses have been inundated in the towns of Enrekang, Sidenreng Rappang (Sidrap) and Soppeng. Floodwater 1 to 2.5 meters deep has also submerged several public facilities, such as health centers, markets, schools and houses of worship. A local resident in Belawa district in Wajo regency was reportedly swept away by floodwater.
“From reports we’ve received, up until Tuesday afternoon, the missing person had not been found,” said Wajo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Andi Sapada Sangaji on Tuesday. The flooding has forced around 200 households in Wajo to flee and take refuge at relatives’ houses.
Floodwater has also cut off access between Wajo and Bone and Soppeng regencies. Three days of heavy rain resulted in the overflowing of Lake Tempe. The lake, located in Sengkang, Wajo regency’s capital, is no longer able to accommodate water from several rivers that empty into the lake. The silting up of the lake has declined its capacity to store water.
Every rainy season, homes around lake Tempe experience flooding, which takes longer to recede each year. The water level will likely continue to increase as rainfall remains high and is expected to last until October.
“It’s only the beginning of the rainy season, which will reach its peak in August,” said Sapada.
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di 16 jul 2013 - 18:45