Handling Sigi Floods, Risma Asks To PUPR Bangun Tanggul In Hilir

The rest of the houses that were swept away by the flood in North Pakuli Village, Gumbasa, Sigi, Central Sulawesi on Tuesday, September 6. (Antara-Basri Marzuki)

SULTENG - Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Tri Rismaharini visited flood-affected victims in Pakuli District, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi Province (Sulteng), Wednesday, September 7. "Indeed, the heavy ones usually live in valleys and slopes, so there must be a special plan in water management so they don't enter residential areas," said Tri Rismaharini in Sigi, Central Sulawesi, Wednesday, September 7. He explained, in principle, the management of the river flow must start from the upstream part which then coincides with the arrangement at the bottom or downstream. The downstream part, continued Risma, the local government should build a thick embankment aimed at preventing the entry of water into residential areas. "For this reason, we have coordinated with the PUPR, hopefully it can be done, because if it is on the embankment it will no longer enter residential areas. And if it is not closed, they must move, even though it is not easy to find land," he explained.

However, he admits that this takes quite a long time so that the quick handling for the short term is to ensure river cleanliness from the remains of flood material.

During the visit, Social Minister Risma also distributed assistance with a total value of Rp878 million to the Sigi Regency Government to be used as preparedness and disaster management funds. "The funds are used to build granaries because it is estimated that this will be the hardest until January or February in November so that if there is a broken access here, it can still survive to have an independent logistics stock," he said.

At least 182 families or 662 people were affected by the flood caused by the overflow of the Gumbasa River in Pakuli Village, Sigi Regency. The overflow of the river was due to heavy rains that occurred from Monday 5 September afternoon, until Tuesday 6 September morning.

A total of 662 people began their evacuation on Tuesday, September 6. They took refuge in the courtyard of the Al-Anshar Mosque in Hamlet I, Pakuli Village.