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ozens of villages in East Kalimantan and Gorontalo have been flooded following incessant rain affecting thousands of residents.

Flooding in Tabang district in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, inundated 18 traditional Dayak and Kutai villages.

Kutai Kartanegara Regent Rita Widyasari said the flood happened after the Belayan River, a tributary of the Mahakam River, overflowed its banks following heavy rain.

'€œThe Tabang district and Kutai Kartanegar Disaster Mitigation Agency [BPBD] have provided aid and evacuated villagers,'€ Rita said.

Tabang Lama village was the worst afflicted area, with flood waters topping 2.5 meters high. Public facilities such as the Tabang district office, community health center (puskesmas), schools and houses of worships were inundated.

The Kutai Kartanagara chief spokesman said that flood waters started to rise at 3 a.m. local time (2 a.m. Jakarta time). '€œWe are still listing the number of victims and the losses.'€

Tabang, with an area of some 8,000 square kilometers and more than 10,000 residents, is one of the districts located farthest from Tenggarong, the regency seat.

Meanwhile, hundreds of houses in Gorontalo were engulfed by a flash flood that also damaged two schools and one dam.

Gorontalo BPBD representative Azrin Asiari said that a flash flood swept Barakati and Tilonggulupa villages in Batudaa district as well as of villages in West Biluhu and Coastal Batudaa districts.

Azrin said the flood, which started at about 6 p.m. local time [5 p.m. Jakarta time] on Thursday after heavy rain, has topped 50 centimeters in Barakati village, affecting 700 residents. In Coastal Batudaa district, 83 houses and 117 people were affected.

No fatalities were reported.

Gorontalo BPBD secretary Ridwan said that the flooding was exacerbated by rampant deforestation in the hilly area.

As the rain continued to come down on Friday, some residents opted to stay at their own houses while others evacuated to the homes of relatives.