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Mudslide isolates 1,500 residents in Solok
A mudslide originating from two rivers on Mount Talang hit Sungai Janiah village in Solok regency late Tuesday, leaving 1,500 residents isolated
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mudslide originating from two rivers on Mount Talang hit Sungai Janiah village in Solok regency late Tuesday, leaving 1,500 residents isolated.
The disaster, known locally as galodo, left bridges permanently damaged, swept away eight houses along a river, destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland and brought down electricity poles.
No casualties were reported in the disaster, which struck at around 6 p.m., but Sungai Janiah was isolated by the floods as around 1,500 residents had no access to other areas.
West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency’s operational center coordinator Ade Edward said dozens of Sungai Janiah villagers, who were outside the village during the disaster, could not return to their homes.
They were accommodated at an emergency command post set up in an elementary school.
“Villagers took shelter in mosques and schools,” he said.
“Medical services were not disrupted due to the presence of a community health clinic in the village.”
Ade said that the two bridges, usually used by public buses plying Sungai Janiah route, were completely damaged.
The damage to each bridge is estimated to cost around Rp 1 billion (US$107,526).
The river, which originally spanned 15 meters, has widened to 30 meters due to the floods.
“The Solok regency administration and residents are currently working hand in hand to build an emergency bridge from coconut tree so people can cross the river,” Ade said.
“But a bigger bridge, which is needed for cars to cross, could take a week to build.”
A Mount Talang volcanic observation officer in Solok, Dalipa Marjusi, warned residents in Sungai Janiah and other villages of further of mudslide or cold lava.
Dalipa said tens of thousand cubic meters of volcanic material from Mount Talang’s eruption in 2005 had gathered at the upstream areas of four rivers could threaten residents below.
The Batang Ampuan and Batang Lurah Nago rivers, which pass through Sungai Janiah, carried parts of the materials in the mudslide on Tuesday.
Two other rivers — the Ano Kadok and Batang Lembang — flow in the direction of other villages.
Ano Kadok flows to Talang and Cupak villages in Gunung Talang district, while Batang Lembang flows toward Batu Bajanjang village.
“There are still large volumes of volcanic materials and boulders at the upstream areas which could be carried by the rivers during continuous heavy rain and pose a risk to people along the rivers,” Dalipa told The Jakarta Post.
He said he submitted reports on the cold lava’s threats every month to the Solok regency administration, the last being March 3.
However, the administration has yet to follow up the reports by disseminating information to residents.
“It’s the duty of the Solok regency administration to inform the public. Our job is just to file the report,” Dalipa said.
