Heavy Rain, Several Areas in Situbondo Submerged by River Overflow

Illustration of flooding (Unsplash)

Heavy rain that hit Situbondo Regency, East Java, on Saturday (7/3) night caused a number of rivers to overflow and flood residential areas. Floods were reported to have hit several points in the western area of Situbondo, including Bungatan, Mlandingan, Besuki, to Banyuglugur.

Based on the data collected, the affected areas include:

Bungatan District: Bungatan Village (Dusun Gunung Sari).

Mlandingan District: Mlandingan Kulon Village.

Banyuglugur District: Lubawang Village and Kalianget Village.

Besuki District: Besuki Village.

The Bungatan Sub-district Head, Yogie Kripsian Sah, reported that in Gunung Sari Village, the overflow of the Curah Udang River submerged about 50 houses and the sub-district office with a water height of 50 cm. This incident is the second time in the last two days after a similar flood hit on Friday (6/3).

"Sungai Curah Udang has long been experiencing subsidence so that it is unable to accommodate water discharge during heavy rains. River normalization needs to be carried out immediately as a long-term anticipation step," said Yogie.

In line with the conditions in Bungatan, dozens of houses in Mlandingan Kulon Village were also flooded to the knees of adults. Local residents said the overflow from the two rivers in the village had become a "subscription" every time heavy rain fell for a long time.

In the westernmost area of Situbondo, namely in Lubawang Village and Kalianget Village, dozens of houses were again hit by flash floods. This is due to the discharge of the Lubawang River water which exceeds the capacity of the embankment and irrigation canals.

Until this news was released, rain was still pouring over most of Situbondo. Officers from BPBD, Tagana, and related agencies have been deployed to the location to assess the damage and help affected residents.