Floods inundate hundreds of houses in Padang, W Sumatra

Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of houses in Lubuk Buaya Padang, West Sumatra, were inundated due to incessant rains since Thursday.

The floodwaters reached a height of up to one meter in some residential areas but local residents did not flee their homes.

Rusdiman, a resident of Jambak kampong, said here on Friday that his village was hit by floods at least three times a year.

"The current flooding is the first this year, and it`s considered safe because it reached a height of just one meter. Besides, it has started to subside," he said.

The previous flood reaching a height of up to three meters on December 25, 2007 inundated thousands of houses and farming areas, he said.

Local people had called on the government to build a dam in Batang Kandih river to minimize the impact of flooding, he said.