Boy swept away by flood during heavy rains in Lampung

Oyos Saroso H.N. ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Bandarlampung   |  Tue, 04/01/2008 10:40 AM  |  The Archipelago

A 4-year-old boy was swept away by floods during heavy rains that lasted from noon until the late afternoon in Bandarlampung on Sunday.

According to a witness, the victim, Romi, a resident of Jl. Raden Fatah in Kaliawi district, fell and was dragged away by the swiftly flowing Awi River while playing next to his house.

A rescue team made up of Lampung Police and residents searched for the victim until midnight, scouring the river that flows across the city. They had not found Romi by midday the following day.

Romi's parents, Herman and Sariah, were in a state of shock. Sariah passed out several times.

Herman said Romi, his fifth child, who liked to play in the rain, had slipped into the ditch while playing with two friends nearby, and was dragged away by the current.

A Kaliawi resident, Mansyur, said the drains in the neighborhood often overflowed when it rained continuously for several hours.

"The Awi River usually overflows in just an hour of heavy rain," Mansyur said.

The Awi River passes Kaliawi subdistrict under the Kartini Mall on Jl. Kartini, Jl. Raden Intan and Jl. Luwes and continues to Tanjung Gading in East Tanjungkarang, and Garuntang in South Telukbetung before reaching Lampung Bay.

Mansyur said similar incidents had occured in the area, where it was common for children to play in water after the rain.

Director of the Coalition for a Healthy Lampung, Herdimansyah, called on the Bandarlampung mayor to immediately improve the poor drainage system in the city.

"Most of the major streets in Bandarlampung are submerged knee-deep in water when it rains for just an hour, congesting traffic. It is caused by clogged drains," Herdimansyah said.

"The drains can no longer hold water, so it overflows everywhere, including into homes," he said.

City planning expert Ilham Malik said aside from a poor drainage system, another major cause of floods in Bandarlampung was poor city planning.

"The mushrooming number of residential areas in the city are not thoroughly planned -- for example, they have poor drainage. Some of the upscale housing estates don't even have drains to control floods," Ilham said.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.