Floods, landslides threaten areas across Indonesia

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) warns that hundreds of subdistricts in dozens of provinces are threatened by potential floods and landslides during the current rainy season.

Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho on Thursday said 172 subdistricts were at high risk and 118 subdistricts at medium risk of facing floods.

He added that 154 subdistricts were at high risk and 149 subdistricts at medium risk of facing landslides.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Public Works Ministry and the National Coordinating Agency for Land Survey and Mapping (Bakosurtanal), 11 provinces in Indonesia — Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java — are at high risk of being flooded until January 2012.

According to the BMKG, Aceh, North, West and South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi, East, Central and West Java, Yogyakarta, East and West Nusa Tenggara, West Papua and Papua are areas threatened by landslides.

“Flooding and landslides in Java can be very dangerous because such disasters put up to 120 million people living in dangerous areas at risk,” Sutopo said in a press statement received by The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Sutopo added that his agency had worked together with relevant ministries and institutions to anticipate disasters.

“We have sent logistics to 33 provinces and 265 subdistricts to strengthen regional disaster management agencies and prepared quick-response units,” he said.

The agency has also allocated Rp 116 billion (US$ 12.87 million) to handle disasters. (swd)