With Idul Fitri in sight, the country’s disaster management agency has warned homeward travelers to be cautious of potential risks of flooding and landslides at several points across Java.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Thursday travelers might meet serious threats of disaster on account of potential heavy rains in most provinces.

“All travelers should be really careful and be prepared, especially those traveling on motorbike,” Sutopo told a press conference.

According to BNPB data, the northern coast of Java (Pantura) expressway is vulnerable to floods, while the southern routes on Java Island are prone to both flooding and landslides, particularly as the southern traffic line will pass Purworejo in Central Java, where landslides recently occurred after heavy rains.

“Therefore, we have established posts in all Java regencies. The posts provide heavy machinery such as bulldozers and inflatable boats to anticipate sudden floods or landslides,” Sutopo said.

He added that the BNPB only established posts in Java because the island was the main destination of most holiday travelers.

The BNPB has recorded a decrease in traffic accidents during the Idul Fitri exodus, from 5.2 million in 2014 to 4.6 million last year.

“However, we should underline the fact that we did not see disasters during the exodus in previous years,” Sutopo said.

There are at least 25 million travelers returning to their home villages starting from today, to celebrate Idul Fitri holidays on July 6 and 7.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts most provinces in Indonesia will see medium-intensity rain in July.

BMKG deputy chairman Yunus Subagyo Swarinoto said heavy rains will occur, but only for a short period. “Travelers can check our website before they depart because we provide weather updates in all provinces every six hours,” Yunus said.

The Transportation Ministry estimates an increase of travelers taking their own cars for their holiday trips, from 6 million in 2015 to 7.1 million this year.

To cope with the massive number of travelers, toll road operator PT Solo Ngawi Jaya (SNI) will open a new 25-kilometer toll road, from Surakarta to Kertosono in Central Java, even though only 40 percent of the road has been completed. However, the toll road will only be open from 6 a.m. until to 5 p.m. as it has yet to be equipped with road lights.

PT Trans Marga Jateng will also open a new toll road, from Bawen to Salatiga, both in Central Java, as an alternative. “The Bawen-Salatiga toll road can be used as an alternative if the regular routes from Bawen to Salatiga are congested,” PT Trans Marga Jateng technical and operations director Ali Zainal Abidin said on Wednesday.

Train stations will also provide additional trains to cope with the rising number of passengers.

State-owned train operator PT KAI has predicted an increase in train passengers, from 5.1 million in 2015 to 5.3 million this year.

In anticipation, Surakarta-Balapan Station in Surakarta has provided five trains to serve the Yogyakarta-Surabaya, Surakarta-Jakarta, Surakarta-Bandung and Yogyakarta-Gambir routes.

“We are also providing three more trains to take passengers from West Java to Surakarta,” said Surakarta-Balapan Station head Budi Santosa.

Sutopo also warned that railways were also vulnerable to landslides. Therefore, the BNPB has cooperated with KAI to closely monitor railway routes. (wnd)

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