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Recent floods in Kalimantan raises concerns over environmental damages
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An aerial photo of the Hantakan River in Alat village, Hulu Sungai Tengah regency, South Kalimantan on Jan. 20, 2020. The region was hit by massive flooding following days of heavy rainfall. (Antara/Muhammad Nova)
T
hree out of five provinces in Kalimantan have been hit by floods, triggered by deforestation and changing climate, over the past month, adding into the latest list of natural disasters that have struck the region this year.
West Kalimantan was the most severely affected by the recent flooding, with floodwater from the overflowing Kapuas River submerging tens of thousands of houses in seven out of 14 regencies in the province, namely Kapuas Hulu, Sintang, Melawi, Sekadau, Sanggau, Ketapang and Bengkayang.
In Sintang, the worst-hit regency, flooding has not still subsided after almost a month.
More than 220,000 people have been affected by the floods, with at least four fatalities recorded, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
In Central Kalimantan, six regencies -- including the provincial capital, Palangkaraya – have been inundated since last week, affecting around 67,000 people.
Heavy downpours earlier this week has also caused flooding in at least three regencies in South Kalimantan, -- Balangan, South Hulu Sungai and Central Hulu Sungai -- affecting more than 14,200 people, destroying bridges and schools.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has acknowledged that the flooding, particularly in West Kalimantan, was partly caused by environmental damage in the Kapuas River water-catchment area.
