Aceh floods disrupt transport, destroy crops

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 10/25/2007 4:22 PM

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Floods have hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam following four days of incessant rain, submerging thousands of houses, destroying crops, displacing hundreds of families and disrupting land and air transportation to and from the province.

Houses and farmland in the coastal zones that were devastated by the 2004 tsunami have been inundated by the rising waters, forcing several rehabilitation and reconstruction projects to stop work.

Residents had to use wooden rafts to get around and most people stayed home. The flood had the effect of extending the Idul Fitri holiday for students and teachers since school buildings were under water.

A heavy downpour fell on almost all parts of the province, including the provincial capital Banda Aceh from before dawn until afternoon on Wednesday.

South Aceh, Southwest Aceh, Nagan Raya, Southeast Aceh, West Aceh, Aceh Jaya and Aceh Jaya were the worst-affected regencies.

Thousands of families living on the edges of large rivers were displaced or evacuated to safe areas.

In South Aceh on Tuesday rescue volunteers were still searching for two flood victims while thousands of families from the affected regencies were taking refuge in Aceh Singkil, North Aceh and Lhokseumawe.

Land transportation between Lamno and Calang in Aceh Jaya had been paralyzed since Monday following the submersion of several villages and sections of road and the recent collapse of a bridge connecting the regency with Banda Aceh.

In North Aceh, almost 3,000 hectares of rice paddy has been inundated by the flood since Monday.

The head of Meukek subdistrict in South Aceh, A. Manaf Aldy, said the heavy downpour had turned several subdistricts in the regency into a large sea and the water in most houses was between 50 centimeters and one meter deep.

""Two rivers dividing the regency have overflowed, submerging hundreds of houses and displacing hundreds of families. Unfortunately, most residents were not prepared to face the flood because of a lack of information from relevant authorities,"" he said.

Hundreds of travelers who wanted to return to the mainland after celebrating Idul Fitri were stranded in Simeulue because all the island's air links were suspended and several ferries also suspended operation due to high tidal waves.

Airlines including national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, delayed flights from Polonia airport in Medan, North Sumatra, to Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe several times because of the strong winds and incessant rain.

Chief of the local Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), Samsuir D.H.S, warned airline and sea transportation companies that bad weather and heavy rain in the coming week would make the province prone to large waves and landslides.

The agency is forecasting the heavy rains will continue into next week. The rainfall has reached 50 millimeters per day. The normal rainfall is 30 to 40 millimeter per day.

""The weather will remain bad in the coming weeks. Local administrations should coordinate closely to prepare preventive measures and avoid fatalities in areas prone to floods and landslides in the province,"" he told The Jakarta Post.

Samsuir warned, as in previous years, West Aceh and Central Aceh could be prone to floods and landslides. Waves could reach two to four meters high in Meulaboh, Sinabang and Sabang waters because of low pressure over the Indian Ocean.

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