Floods in Polewali Mandar regency, West Sulawesi have damaged 37 school buildings while floods in Central Java have affected 10 out of the 35 regions and have caused harvest failure in more than 1,100 hectares of rice fields.
Schools in Polewali Mandar have yet to resume classes after being damaged, with 15 of them severely damaged including one school in Tinambung district that collapsed.
The 15 buildings are elementary schools spread across nine districts.
In addition, furniture was also damaged such as desks, benches and chalkboards as well as text books and school records.
Head of Polewali Mandar Education, Youth and Sports Agency, Muhammad Najib, confirmed Tuesday that schools were still cleaning up their buildings.
Najib expected schools that were not damaged by the floods to resume activities this week even though their text books and school records were damaged. Students from severely damaged schools must study at other undamaged schools.
Najib expected the central government would send aid so that all schools could be renovated including the replacement of new text books and furniture.
“The students should resume studying because they are facing the final national examinations soon,” he said.
He also estimated that the loss from the flood was Rp 2.5 billion (US$222,000).
In Semarang it was reported that 1,146 hectares of rice fields suffered from harvest failure while another 10,620 hectares are being inundated by floods.
The Central Java Agriculture Agency estimated the loss at some Rp 15.1 billion.
“The amount can increase if the water continues spreading. We will keep monitoring the floods,” the agency’s head of infrastructure division, Setya Pradono, said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, agency head Aris Budiono said harvest failure took place at rice fields which were inundated with water continuously over the week.
The provincial administration has prepared 100 tons of seed for farmers. The aid will be distributed as soon as the floods recede,” he said.
“Farmers can cultivate their fields with the new seeds so they don’t lose time planting.”
Affected rice fields:
• Kudus 3.678 hectares
• Pati 1.870 hectares
• Jepara 2.734 hectares
• Demak 980 hectares
• Kendal 338 hectares
• Pekalongan Regency 317 hectares
• Pekalongan City 177 hectares
• Grobogan 306 hectares
• Batang 184 hectares
• Tegal 36 hectares
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