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ajor flooding has hit parts of Bengkulu province due to overflowing rivers after incessant heavy rain over the last several days. The heavily affected areas included Central Bengkulu, South Bengkulu, Seluma, Mukomuko and Kaur regencies, and Bengkulu City.

“We’ve received reports of flooding from the three regencies and city,” coordinator of the Bengkulu Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Edward said as quoted by the Antara news agency on Tuesday. Edward said there had been no reports of casualties.

BPBD team members had been deployed to monitor and take inventory on the affected areas, he said.

Edward further explained that the flood had briefly cut off access to the community oil palm plantation in North Seluma district, in Seluma regency. “However, it has been under control,” he said.

In Central Bengkulu regency, the flood had also cut off a village road, but it had also been repaired by local villagers.

Edward said that the flood was caused by an overflow from nearby Kembang Seri River that overflowed to 3 meters in height. “The flooding has subsided and the condition has returned to normal,” he said.

In Bengkulu City, residents were asked to be on the alert in case Air Bengkulu River overflowed. Penurunan village was partly submerged two days ago, but it immediately subsided.

Aidil Fitri Fransisco of the BPBD Bengkulu said that 20 team members had been deployed in case they needed to respond quickly to any reports of flooding from the residents.

Aside from deploying the personnel, the BPBD has also prepared logistics assistance in the form of food for the flood victims.

In Mukomuko regency, landslides took place on at least six cliffs at Talangbuai village.

Head of BPBD Mukomuko Iskandar said on Tuesday that the affected areas were located about 275 kilometers from Bengkulu City.

“The cliffs at the village, a part of which have been converted for oil palm plantations, are prone to landslides,” Iskandar said.

He explained that the landslides cut off a village road used by villagers to transport agricultural produce and plantation products.

Talangbuai village head Abdul Hirman said that the damaged access had caused nearly 10 tons of oil palm fresh fruit bunches belonging to the villagers to grow rotten.

They also disrupted irrigation networks in the areas.

“If the conditions do not get better as soon as possible, the villagers fear that they will be unable to perform their daily farming activities,” Iskandar said.

The damaged irrigation network was anticipated to affect up to 40-hectares of paddy fields in the nearby villages.

Aside from damaging facilities, the landslides had also destroyed a water spring, which supplied clean water to local residents.

“The spring is now covered with debris from the landslides,” he said