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ntering the peak of the rainy season, the Central Java and Yogyakarta provincial administrations are on high alert over a possible lahar flood from Mount Merapi, as volcanic material from the 2010 eruptions is still piled along rivers.

'€œWe are paying special attention to the peak of Merapi because the rain yesterday [Wednesday] incited a lahar flood although the rain was not too heavy,'€ Central Java Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Sarwa Pramana said, adding that four trucks got trapped under a lahar flood recently.

Lahar floods are especially threatening Magelang, Boyolali and Klaten regencies in Central Java as well as Sleman regency in Yogyakarta,

Recent floods, landslides and high tides have claimed lives across Central Java.

Landslides in Kebumen, Purworejo and Banjarnegara regencies in December 2013 killed six people, while a storm in Temanggung regency destroyed dozens of houses on Wednesday.

High tide in Karimunjawa waters, Jepara regency, caused a motorized boat to sink. Three of the boat'€™s crew members are still missing as the Search and Rescue (SAR) team stopped the search on Thursday after a week.

Meanwhile, from November 2013 to January, at least three fishermen went missing at sea when waves had reached up to 3 meters high.

On Wednesday, a fishing boat sank after being hit by a strong wave on Suradadi waters, Tegal, killing one of two fishermen.

Head of Central Java'€™s branch of the Association of Indonesian Fishermen (HNSI), Joemali, called on fishermen in the region to remain on land right now as high tide had reached 5 meters.

Meanwhile in Palu, Central Sulawesi, heavy rain since early Wednesday morning has caused floods in a number of areas, including downtown Palu and West Palu, submerging thousands of houses up to waist-high. No fatalities have been reported.

'€œWe need to deploy heavy equipment to dredge clogged drains in the affected areas,'€ Palu Mayor Rusdy Mastura said.

On Thursday, the Trans Sulawesi highway connecting Tolitoli and Buol regency was cut off due to landslides, while flash floods inundated hundreds of houses in the Tolitoli regency capital of Baolan.

Tolitoli BPBD head Muhammad Radhi told The Jakarta Post over the phone that the authorities were forced to shutdown traffic along the Trans Sulawesi highway as landslides had hit five spots along the route.

Other roads reported to have been cut off due to floods were roads in Donggala regency and the Kebun Kopi road that connects Parigi Moutong, Poso, Morowali and Banggai regencies with Palu city.

Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola said that he had told all regents and mayors in the province to take all necessary measures to prevent flood disasters from claiming lives.

'€œAll those affected have to be evacuated immediately and the disasters have to be dealt with swiftly,'€ Longki said.

Ruslan Sangaji in Palu contributed to this story.