Rain Makes Floods In 22 Locations In Samarinda City

The roads were inundated when floods hit parts of Samarinda City, East Kalimantan Province, Tuesday (2/1/2024). (ANTARA/HO Pusdalops BPBD Samarinda)

SAMARINDA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) said that moderate to heavy rain that fell from late afternoon to evening caused flooding in 22 locations in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan.

According to the Head of BPBD Kota Samarinda Suwarso, the rainfall reached 79.8 millimeters from 17.00 to 19.00 WITA caused the Mahakam River to overflow and flood the surrounding area.

"The flood occurred due to the overflow of the Mahakam River and waterways that were unable to accommodate the rainwater discharge," said Suwarso as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 2.

According to him, the floods, among others, occurred in the areas of Jalan Pasundan, Simpang Awang Long, Slamet Riyadi Street, Layang Juanda Street, Kebun Agung Street, KS Tubun Street, Antasari Street, Ahmad Dahlan Street, and Diponegoro Intersection.

Simpang Agus Salim, Jalan Mugirejo, Simpang Lembuswana, Jalan Sentosa Dalam, Jalan Pelita, Jalan Kapten Sudjono, Jalan Katamso, Jalan Panglima Batur, Jalan M Yamin, Jalan Abdul Hasan, Jalan Gatot Subroto, and Jalan Cendana are also inundated.

"The average water level at the flood site ranges from 20 cm to 50 cm," said Suwarso.

When the flood occurred, there was a fire due to a short circuit in the fast boat engine in Baqa Village, Bung Tomo Street, Samarinda Seberang District.

"The landslide land is zero. There is only one fallen tree in the Mulawarman University area," he said.

He appealed to residents to increase their vigilance during extreme weather conditions.

If you need assistance or information regarding disasters, residents can contact the Samarinda City BPBD through 0541-2089-891.

"We are ready to serve flood victims who need help," said Suwarso.

He explained that the Samarinda City Government had tried to accelerate the completion of projects aimed at tackling flooding in the capital city of East Kalimantan Province.

The project he aims to include normalization of drainage, dredging rivers, and controlling settlements in riverbank areas.

"Normalization of drainage aims to increase the capacity of waterways so as not to overflow during rain," said Suwarso.

According to him, the Samarinda City Government is coordinating with the River Basin Center in the implementation of a sediment dredging project that causes river silting.

"The control of houses located on riverbanks has been carried out in stages," he said.