South Sumatra's Muratara Flood Drowned Hundreds of Thousands of Houses

PALEMBANG - Flash floods have submerged 16,156 residential units in North Musi Rawas Regency (Muratara), South Sumatra (Sumsel) after heavy rains hit the area since early Thursday (7/5).

The Secretary of the BPBD Muratara Mathir explained that until this afternoon, the provisional data showed that 16,156 families or as many as 64,624 people were directly affected by the flood.

The flood not only targeted settlements, but also paralyzed public facilities.

There are four suspension bridges in Tanjung Beringin Village, Terusan Village, Sukamenang Village, and Noman Village that were reported to have been completely broken. Meanwhile, one suspension bridge in Batu Gajah Village was moderately damaged.

Then, the education and health sectors were also significantly affected. A total of 17 school units (from TK to SMA) as well as five units of Puskesmas Pembantu (Pustu) and two units of Polindesterendam water. In the worship facilities sector, one mushalla unit was reported to have been washed away and five other mosques were submerged.

"A joint team consisting of the BPBD, Social Services, Health Services, Satpol-PP, and TNI and Polri personnel has been deployed to the location to conduct a quick assessment and evacuate the victims," he said as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, May 9.

The local government has also set up a public kitchen to meet the logistics needs of affected residents.

"Officers continue to monitor the situation on the ground and conduct initial data collection on the material losses suffered by the community," he said.

He added that based on the latest monitoring in the field, the water conditions in Karang Jaya District were reported to have completely receded. In Rupit District, the water surface began to show a trend of decline.

However, vigilance is still being increased for residents in Karang Dapo and Rawas Ilir sub-districts, because settlements in the two areas are still reported to be submerged in water.

The BPBD appealed to the public to remain vigilant against the potential for subsequent flooding if the intensity of the rain increases again.

Meanwhile, this disaster resulted in one toddler dying.

The North Musi Rawas Regency BPBD Disaster Management Operations Center (Pusdalops-PB) reported that the deceased was a three-year-old girl named Shanum Aqila Fitri.

In addition to the casualties, four residents' houses were swept away by the current, one unit was damaged, and six other units were slightly damaged.