Kusumasari Ayuningtyas, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta | Mon, 01/02/2012 9:50 PM
The Surakarta
city administration has raised its status to alert for the next seven days
following floods affecting thousands of houses in six regencies and 11 sub-districts
in the Greater Surakarta area.
The regencies and sub-districts were
inundated by floods after eight hours of rainfall in the area on the very first
day of year 2012.
“Considering that the water level at the Bengawan Solo
River reached 9.38 meters, the Surakarta city administration raised its status to alert
for the next seven days,” Surakarta Vice Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo said Monday at
the Surakarta City Hall.
As many as 3,684 houses in 11 sub-districts
in the city, including a house belonging to the vice mayor, have been affected
by floods 50 to 150 centimeters deep.
In Trucuk, Klaten regency, 500 families
living in five villages were inundated by floodwaters 60 centimeters deep, resulting
in losses costing more than Rp 100 billion (US$11 million).
Three embankments in Klaten regency;
Dengkeng, Sungai Gamping and Kali Jaran, had broken down, with damages in
various locations ranging in length from 15 to 25 meters long.
“If it is still raining on Monday evening,
the condition of the embankments could become even worse,” Cawas district head
Pri Harsanto said.
In Sukoharjo regency, 1,000 families in four
districts have had to evacuate due to one to three-meter deep floods that had
inundated their houses.
As many as 163 houses in three villages in
Boyolali regency were also affected by floods.
In Karanganyar regency, two districts,
Jenawi and Ngargoyoso, were impacted by landslides, while two other districts,
Kebak Kramat and Gondangrejo, were flooded in knee-deep water.
In Sragen regency, the five districts of
Sidoarjo, Masaran, Plupuh, Sragen Kota and Tanon, were inundated by up to two-meters
of water.
The Wedi and Bayat districts were affected
by overflowing water from an embankment.
Klaten disaster management agency secretary
Joko Rukminto said that the agency had coordinated with areas affected by the
floods to distribute aid. (swd)
