3,041 Kudus Flood Refugees Have Returned Home

Air photos of the condition of the Demak-Kudus pantura route were flooded in Karanganyar District, Demak, Friday 9 February 2024. (ANTARA PHOTO-Aji Styawan)

A total of 3,014 residents of Kudus Regency who fled after being victims of the flood were reported to have returned to their homes on Wednesday, March 27.

This was conveyed by the Chief Executive of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Kudus Mundir in an online broadcast entitled Disaster Teropong The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) which was monitored in Jakarta, Wednesday, March 27.

Mundir explained that the thousands of refugees were residents of five sub-districts including Kaliwungu, Undaan, Mejobo, Jekulo and Jati. They had previously had to be evacuated by a joint team after the floods in their respective houses were flooded more than 2 meters high.

Floods inundated the residential area due to rain and exacerbated by the swift volume of river water sent from the upstream area of Central Java flowing to Kudus, on Sunday, March 10.

Pusdalops BPBD Kudus confirmed that at least in addition to causing minor damage to residents' houses that were inundated in 31 villages, the flood also submerged 1,302 hectares of agricultural land, causing crop disruption. In fact, until now the flood is still inundating the inter-village connecting road with an altitude of 5-20 centimeters.

"This is because access to water disposal to the Juwana River, which is downstream in Pati Regency, has experienced silting and narrowing so that the current does not run quickly," he said, confiscated by Antara.

Apart from that, Mundir stated that he had made mitigation efforts not to let floods hit local residents again in accordance with the duties and functions of the Kudus BPBD together with other relevant local government agencies.

There are at least two mitigation efforts that have been carried out and are permanent, namely opening the floodgates to the Wulan River in Demak because the elevations are lower than settlements and permanently activating water holders in the Kudus area.

"Of course we don't expect any further flooding, this is enough, we have experienced floods twice and accommodated many refugees including from Demak. But of course we are also trying to mitigate it with the hope that the water that passes through Kudus can be flowed immediately and not overflow into floods," he said.