7.5 Hectares Of Farmers' Gardens Damaged By Floods In Sigi, Central Sulawesi

The plantation land owned by residents was flooded with mud in Jono Village, South Dolo District, Sigi Regency. (ANTARA)

SIGI - Floods accompanied by mud damaged plantations and agriculture covering an area of 7.5 hectares in Jono Village, South Dolo District, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi (Central Sulawesi). The flood accompanied by material in the form of mud occurred on July 1, 2024 night at 18.30 WITA. "Since yesterday until today the cleaning of the mud-covered roads and houses of residents continues to be carried out by local residents assisted by Babinsa and police personnel from the Polres and Polda Central Sulawesi," said Village Head (Kades) Jono, Hezfrianto, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 3. He said heavy equipment in the form of excavators was already at the location of the flood disaster to immediately deal with the river flow. "People's needs are evacuation logistics and for heavy equipment it has started to work, river normalization, as well as repair of damaged roads caused by the mud flood," he said.Banjir Mud, he continued, resulted in a badly damaged pocket in the area, including a 7.5 hectare cocoa, coconut plantation area. "Tani business road for a total and damaged production pocket," he said. Hezfrianto said that another impact of the flood also submerged eight residents' houses, resulting in the local residents' residence being lightly damaged due to the importation of mud. Other losses experienced by Jono residents, Dolo Selatan District, were in the form of one flooded house along with the entire contents of the house and one motorcycle. "Residents who fled as many as eight families (KKK) consisted of children and 16 teenagers, one elderly, one human, three toddlers, and pregnant women," he said. Until now residents are still displaced in their respective families. Previously, the floods also hit Dusun III, Bobo Village, West Dolo District, Sigi District, resulting in 71 houses damaged and submerged in mud. For agricultural land and plantations affected in Bobo Village, Dolo Barat District, the 4.25 hectare area consists of three hectares of rice fields and 0, 25 columns of damaged rice plots, as well as one hectare of plantation land in the form of bananas and affected coconuts.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Department of Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantation of Sigi Regency, Rahmat Iqbal, said that he was still coordinating with Field Agricultural Extension (PPL) in the field to collect data on the area of the affected land due to flooding accompanied by mud. Later, the data will be carried out as a basis for the local government (Pemda) related to intervention to help residents whose agricultural land and plantations were damaged and crop failure. "We are still collecting data related to damage to agricultural land, farmer names, land area, commodity types and damage levels," he said.