Heavy Rain, 2,021 People Affected By Floods In Tanah Laut District

JAKARTA - The Tanah Laut Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported that 2,021 people in three sub-districts in Tanah Laut Regency, South Kalimantan Province, were affected by flooding due to rain on Saturday, September 11. Among them, Batu Ampar District, Kintap District, and Panyipatan District. The flood that occurred at 08.30 local times was triggered by high-intensity rain on Friday, September 10.

In Batu Ampar District, 75 houses were submerged and 232 people were affected. The monitoring of the rapid reaction team in the field has begun to decrease the water flow even though it is still flooding people's homes.

Meanwhile, in Kintap District, 544 houses were submerged and 1,789 people were affected. Water is still inundated residents' houses with a spring height (TMA) ranging from 30 - 50 cm. Meanwhile, in Panyipatan District, the flood was reported to be gradually receding but there were still some residents' plantations that were submerged.

Until this news was released, there had been no reports of residents being displaced due to this phenomenon.

"For the time being, no residents have been evacuated", said Disaster Management Operations Control Center of Tanah Laut Regency, Esty, in her statement, Sunday, September 12.

The high rainfall also caused one of the embankments in Benua Tengah Village, Takisung District to collapse. The breach of the embankment did not result in the residents' houses being submerged.

"It has been raining all night since yesterday, September 10, so the embankment is not strong enough to hold the overflowing water", said Esty.

BPBD Tanah Laut together with the relevant local government is continuing to collect data and monitor the current conditions in the field. There will also be an active distribution of logistical assistance for flood-affected residents.

Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) notes that hydrometeorological disasters will still dominate throughout August 2021. High-intensity rain is one of the triggers for flooding events with a fairly high frequency, especially in the South Kalimantan area.

Meanwhile, BMKG (Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency) has also issued an early warning for the Kalimantan region which is predicted to enter the rainy season in September 2021. This affects increasing the potential for wet hydrometeorological disasters in the region.

The early warning issued by the BMKG was also informed by the Tanah Laut Regency to the people in its territory through short messages and social media.

"We always share the early warning information with the public through WhatsApp groups and social media regularly", explained Esty.

Head of BNPB's Center for Disaster Data, Information and Communication, Abdul Muhari, said BNPB continues to appeal to local governments and the public to always be alert and alert to potential natural disasters in their vicinity as a form of preparedness to reduce risk due to disasters.

The community independently knows whether early warnings through the BMKG official website and potential disasters in their area through inaRisk.bnpb.go.id.