Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang
Flashfloods hit 22 villages in Belu regency on West Timor, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday, following three days of rain.
The floods were caused by the overflow of the Benenain River. No casualties have been reported, but at least 10,000 people have been evacuated.
Head of Belu regency social service office Arnold Bria said in Atambua that at least 1,000 houses were flooded, with many people's belongings being swept away entirely.
He said that 13 of the 22 affected villages were located in Malaka Barat district, five at Weliman district and four at Malaka Tengah district.
"The flooding was caused by heavy downfalls on hilly areas in the Timor Tengah Utara and Timor Tengah Selatan regencies," he said.
He said the three affected districts were low-lying and regularly flooded.
"The water is 1.52 meters deep at present. If the rain continues falling we fear it will get higher," he said.
The worst hit areas were Kakeu Laran and Bicolo hamlets at Lasaen village in Malaka Barat district, where most of the houses were flooded. Thousands of hectares of agricultural land was also inundated.
Businesses and schools were also shut Monday as many buildings in the area were damaged.
The Belu regency administration has said it plans to relocate residents of a river embankment that is prone to flooding.
"The administration is in the process of persuading local noted figures to release parts of their land for the purpose," Belu deputy regent Gregorius Mau Bili said.
Other efforts to help protect local people from the threat of floods include the construction of flood prevention walls along the Benenain River.
Malaka Barat district chief Remigius Asa said his office was badly in need of rubber boats to help distribute supplies to the affected villages, which were unreachable by land.
"Accesses to the affected regions has been blocked by thick mud so that rubber boats are the only solution to supplying assistance," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment