TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of houses in five villages in West Aceh District, Aceh Province, have been submerged by flood waters reaching a height of up to 70 cm following incessant heavy rains falling over the last several days.

Floods affected Buket Meugajah and Blang Luah Villages in East Woyla Sub-district, Cot Rambong and Napai Villages in West Woyla Sub-district, and Lueng Buloh Village in Woyla Sub-district, Mahsuri, coordinator of the Operation Control Center of the West Aceh Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) said on Sunday.

The flooding had been triggered by incessant heavy rains causing several rivers to spill over their banks since Oct 22, 2019, Mashuri remarked.

Despite the flooding, flood victims decided to stay in their respective homes and did not want to take refuge to higher grounds.

"The natural disaster has been triggered by downpours," Mashuri noted.

Indonesia is currently transitioning from extremely dry to the rainy season.

Most of the country's regions continue to be hit by a prolonged drought that has triggered wildfires and water crises, while rainfall was received in a few regions, including Aceh, North Sumatra, and the West Java Provinces.

In the meantime, 1,067 people from 332 families had been affected by the flooding in the East Woyla Sub-district of West Aceh District, as rivers spilled over their banks, triggered by incessant heavy rains in West Aceh over the past two weeks.

The flood waters, which reached a height of some 50 cm, hit 14 villages in West Aceh, Bismi on Oct 22 and 23, head of the West Aceh Social Affairs Office said.

Three other villages hit by flooding were Blang Luah, Alue Leuhob, and Napai located in the West Woyla Sub-district.

The local authorities and the West Disaster Mitigation Office provided humanitarian assistance for the flood victims.

Besides Aceh, floods also hit at least eight villages in Siabu Sub-district, Mandailing Natal District, North Sumatra Province, with at least 500 homes swamped on Tuesday (Oct. 22).

ANTARA