Joint Team Faces Tidal Waves When Building Semarang Rob Flood Embankment

SEMARANG - Plt. Head of BNPB's Disaster Data and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, explained that the joint Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) team was carrying out emergency handling of the tidal flood that hit the coastal areas of Semarang City, especially in the Tanjung Emas area.

The emergency response was in the form of installing a temporary embankment to cover the collapse of the protective wall of the Lamacitra industrial area.

"The emergency response was carried out by constructing a temporary embankment to seal the breached protective wall using 3,500 sand bags from Pelindo, 1,000 sand bags from PT Lamicitra Nusantara, 2 sandbag tronton trucks from the Semarang City DPU and BBWS and geobags from the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing. PUPR)," said Abdul Muhari.

"The joint team also used pieces of bamboo and other improvised equipment to patch two points of the 20 meter long broken retaining wall at PT Lamicitra Nusantara and 7 meters on the west side," he continued.

"However, the joint BPBD team encountered problems in constructing the embankment because the tidal wave was still ongoing," Abdul said in his statement, Friday, May 27.

"The obstacles that are a challenge for the joint team in handling emergencies are the ongoing tidal wave, the condition of the affected area in Tanjung Mas Village with topography that makes it difficult for water to come out, limited water pumps and access to locations that are difficult to pass," he said.

Meanwhile, based on data developments today, almost all districts and cities along the North Coast (Pantura) of Central Java have been hit by tidal flooding and tidal waves since last Monday, May 23.

The affected areas are Brebes Regency, Tegal Regency, Tegal City, Pemalang Regency, Pekalongan Regency, Pekalongan City, Batang Regency, Kendal Regency, Semarang City, Demak Regency, Jepara Regency, Pati Regency and Rembang Regency.