Bandung Flooding Shows No Signs of Receding

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Flash floods that inundated more than 11,000 houses in the subdistricts of Baleendah, Bojongsoang, Dayeuhkolot, and Rancaekek, Bandung District, West Java Province, over the past five days, had not receded until Monday morning.

As a result, some 40,844 residents are still affected by the flooding, Head of Bandung District’s Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) for Emergency Logistics Affairs Enjang Wahyudin told journalists in Bandung, Monday.

The flood waters still reached 180 centimeters in depth in certain areas, he said, adding that some roads were also inundated disrupting the mobility of residents.

The Banjaran-Bandung road section, for instance, could not be accessed by cars and motorcycles, he said.

The flash floods have forced 2,364 residents to take refuge. Among them are 146 infants, 160 aging people, 18 pregnant women, and eight disabled. They are taking refuge in mosques and local government offices.

To assist the affected residents, the BPBD-Bandung District Office has provided equipment for rescuing and evacuating those in need to higher grounds, including five rubber boats, three aluminum boats, and seven fiber boats, Wahyudin said.

Many parts of Indonesia remain vulnerable to flooding and landslides partly due to environmental damage and degradation.

In early January, due to downpours, certain areas in Jakarta and its neighboring cities, including Bekasi in West Java, and Tangerang in Banten Province, were submerged.

ANTARA