Map Flood-Longsor Prone Areas, OKU Regency Government Sets Natural Disaster Emergency Alert

OKU BPBD personnel evacuated flood victims in Lubuk Batang District. (ANTARA/Edo Purmana/Arsip)

SOUTH SUMATRA - The Regency Government (Pemkab) Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) has declared an emergency status for floods, landslides and tornadoes.

Determination based on the OKU Regent's decree Number 300.2.3/731/KPTS/XLIV/2023 following the peak of the rainy season which is predicted to occur at the end of January 2024.

"Natural disasters can occur at any time so that people must increase their vigilance so as not to cause casualties," said the Manager of the OKU Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Gunalfi in OKU, South Sumatra (Sumsel), Sunday, January 14, as reported by Antara.

In the decree, BPBD was asked to increase the capacity of disaster management personnel so that floods and landslides could be overcome as early as possible.

Then also, prepare disaster management personnel and equipment and activate flood and landslide alert posts starting from the district, sub-district, to the village level.

He explained that the determination of the disaster emergency alert status was carried out considering the rainfall that has occurred in OKU Regency since the last few days with a long time has the potential to cause floods and landslides.

Therefore, he continued, the status of disaster emergency alerts was determined, especially in areas prone to flooding and landslides so that natural disasters could be overcome as early as possible.

The flood-prone areas in OKU Regency include Ulu Ogan, Muara Jaya, Semidang Aji, Baturaja Barat, Baturaja Timur, Lubuk Batang, Peninjauan, Kedaton Peninjauan Raya, Sosoh Buay Rayap and Lengkiti.

Meanwhile, areas prone to landslides are in Ulu Ogan District, Muara Jaya, Pengandonan and along the Ogan river basin (DAS) in OKU.

Related to this, he appealed to the public, especially those living in the highlands and around the Ogan watershed to increase their vigilance in the face of natural disasters so as not to cause casualties.