2 Meter Flood Affects, South Sumatra OKU DPRD Asks Citimall Baturaja To Be Responsible

A 2 meter high flood inundated Jalan Ahmad Yani, precisely in front of Citimall Baturaja on Wednesday (ANTARA)

SUMSEL - The Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency, South Sumatra (Sumsel) asked the management of Citimall Baturaja to be responsible for the flood disaster that occurred in front of the shopping center on Wednesday, February 2.

"Because so far, before the shopping center building was established, the Jalan Ahmad Yani area was never flooded, let alone until it reached a height of 2 meters like yesterday," said Deputy Chairman of Commission III DPRD Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU), Densi Hermanto in Baturaja, Antara, Thursday, February 3rd.

He suspected that the flooding caused by the culverts under the Citimall Baturaja building was clogged so that water flooded along Jalan Ahmad Yani.

"Before Citimall was built, there was a large hole in the area to accommodate rainwater that flows into the mouth of the Ogan River. After the building is erected whether the hole is closed or not, we don't know yet," he said.

Therefore, his party will call the Citimall management and the Environment Service and related agencies to find out the cause of the flood.

"We ask Citimall Management to immediately address this issue," he said.

Meanwhile, the Manager of Citimall Baturaja, Rudi Alamsyah Siregar separately said that the flood due to the high intensity of rainfall was thought to have occurred due to blockages in the culverts located right under the Citimall Baturaja building.

"We don't yet know which position is clogged with mud. Therefore, the culverts will be dismantled," he said.

His party is trying to lower the heavy equipment to dismantle the waterways in order to see the flooding so that in the future this natural disaster will not happen again.

"We are trying first so that Jalan Ahmad Yani in front of Citimall Baturaja does not flood again, therefore the culverts will be demolished soon," he said.