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span class="inline inline-left">Evacuation: Volunteers evacuate residents affected by the flood in Pucang Sawit village in Surakarta, Central Java, Monday. Antara/Akbar Nugroho GumayThe 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 subdistricts 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 F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo said Monday at the Surakarta City Hall.

As many as 3,684 houses in 11 subdistricts 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 3-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 2 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)