Heavy Rain Triggers Floods At 22 Points In Malang City, Air Reaches 135 Centimeters

Illustration of floods (ANTARA)

The heavy rain that flushed Malang City, East Java, since Tuesday, October 22, caused flooding in 22 locations spread across five sub-districts. A number of residents' houses and public facilities were also inundated with water levels reaching 135 centimeters (cm).

Malang City BPBD Chief Executive Prayitno said flood reports had begun to enter the BPBD Disaster Management Operations Control Center (Pusdalops) since the afternoon.

"This afternoon the rain was very heavy, the flow of drainage and river water increased. It was observed that there were 22 locations that were flooded, with water levels ranging from 20 to 135 cm," said Prayitno, Wednesday, October 22.

From all affected areas, Blimbing District became the worst. A number of housing in Sulfat Village, Purwantoro, Pandanwangi, Jalan Kedawung, Panglima Sudirman, and Raden Panji Suroso were flooded. Blimbing area is indeed densely populated by settlements, so the impact is quite large," he added.

Apart from Blimbing, floods also occurred in Klojen, Sukun, Lowokwaru, and Kedungkandang sub-districts. Several locations in Klojen were inundated quite deeply, including Jalan Bukit Barisan, Jalan Surabaya, Jalan Galunggung, Jalan Bandung, and the Kayutangan area.

Meanwhile, in Sukun, puddles were reported to have occurred at Kasin Market and IR Rais Street. In Lowokwaru, the water submerged Jalan Bunga Brown, Betek Gang 11, Jalan Cendengayam, and Sudimoro. In Kedungkandang, inundation only occurred on Jalan Lake Toba, Sawojajar, without entering people's homes.

According to Prayitno, the main cause of flooding was the poor drainage system in a number of extreme locations and rainfall which increased by 40% according to BMKG data. Regional and drainage content has not been able to accommodate such a large volume of water. We will evaluate these flood-prone locations," he explained.

In addition to flooding, BPBD also recorded a landslide incident on Jalan Janti Barat RT 4 RW 8 which caused river retaining walls to collapse and affected two residents' houses. BPBD Malang City together with related agencies have dispatched a team for assessment and quick handling in affected locations.

"Floods have started to recede since 14.20 WIB in several areas, but we are still on standby because the potential for extreme weather is still high," concluded Prayitno.