Residents fortify Bengawan Solo dike

Hundreds of residents of Ngulanan village in Bojonegoro, East Java, have been working to fortify a part of a dike damaged by the recent overflowing of the Bengawan Solo River.

“Residents and local state officials have been working since Monday,” Kasiyanto, head of Bojonegoro regency disaster management agency, told Antara state news agency Tuesday.

A 30-meter-long part of the dike collapsed when the Bengawan Solo, Java Island's longest river, overflowed recently, leaving a 3-meter-wide gap.

The residents repaired the dike using 1,000 sandbags.

Kasiyanto said the damage put more than 500 houses at risk should the river overflow again.