Flash Floods In South Sumatra Are Considered Due To Damaged Water Infiltration Areas

South Sumatra Bandang Flood (Photo: Doc. Antara-HO BPBD Lahat)

JAKARTA - Flash flood disasters in several districts in South Sumatra (Sumsel) were caused by many water catchment areas being damaged. This is due to the addition of wild forests.

"One of the factors causing flooding in three districts in South Sumatra includes Lahat, Muaraenim and South OKU on Thursday (9/3) and was caused by the damaged water catchment area," said the founder of the Indonesian Earth Trace Environment Institute (JBI) Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) Regency, Hendra Setyawan in Baturaja quoting Antara, Sunday, March 12.

According to him, currently, of the total forest area in South Sumatra Province covering an area of 3.46 million hectares (Ha), around 700 thousand Ha of whose condition is already critical, so they are prone to natural disasters.

Most of the upstream areas as water catchment areas have been damaged by the illegal increase in forests and added that the opening of oil palm plantations and large-scale mining contributed to the potential for natural disasters in the three districts.

As a result, the flash floods that hit Lubuk Sepang Village, Lahat Regency and Sidorahayu Village, South OKU and Lubuk Nipis Village, Muaraenim Regency some time ago were still threats that must be watched out for together.

"Hopefully it doesn't happen again because there are so many victims of natural disasters in the three districts, reaching hundreds of housing units, even causing casualties," he said.

Therefore, it is necessary to understand the relevant stakeholders about the conditions of spatial planning and forests in South Sumatra so that in the future the disaster will not happen again.

JBI encourages the role of local governments to properly implement spatial planning policies so that every district in South Sumatra has a detailed plan to organize areas, study strategic environments and other documents.

This is done to organize protected forest areas so as not to be damaged to be used as oil palm plantations on a large scale or coal mining is not in its place to damage the surrounding environment.

"So to overcome natural damage, not just planting trees, cleaning culverts or littering, but having to be complex from upstream and downstream," said Hendra Setyawan.