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Flooding hits Semarang, disrupting traffic, trains
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Vehicles make their way along flooded streets on March 13, 2024, in Semarang, Central Java,. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
The city of Semarang in Central Java has been inundated following torrential rain on Wednesday and Thursday.
Traffic was stopped on a stretch of the Northern Coast Highway in Kaligawe, Gayamsari district, with waters reaching more than a meter deep.
Train schedules have also been disrupted as the flooding submerged parts of the Tawang Train Station in North Semarang district.
Several landslides were also reported in the city.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has reported that the heavy rain has impacted other regencies and municipalities in the province, including Kendal, Salatiga, Demak and Grobogan.
Endro Pudyo Martanto, head of the Semarang Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), said that flooding could affect more areas as the rain continued Thursday.
Endro said that the agency has set up a soup kitchen at the city hall, and is distributing food to affected residents.
He said the Semarang BPBD is working with the Central Java agency to evacuate residents from their flooded neighborhoods.
Authorities have urged the public to stay vigilant for potential extreme weather events in the coming weeks in many parts of the country amid multiple ongoing natural disasters that have claimed dozens of lives.
Data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) shows that as of Tuesday, at least 32 people had died in flash flooding and landslides in West Sumatra. At least six people were still missing in South Pesisir regency, which was suffering the brunt of the disaster.
Torrential rains since last week have caused flooding and landslides in 12 regencies and municipalities. Five regions have declared states of emergency, including South Pesisir regency, Padang Pariaman regency and Padang city.
Authorities have also started preparing for the post-disaster recovery process.
BMKG has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall in some regions this week. It has warned the public to be alert for possible hydrometeorological disasters, such as strong winds and flooding.
The weather agency is also monitoring two storms with the potential to become tropical cyclones over the Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. While the agency does not expect either to become full cyclones in the coming days, they may still cause extreme weather events, such as strong winds and waves, in southern Java.
Some regions will be at an increased risk of flooding until the end of month, although heavy rains might become less frequent as the country enters the transition period from the wet season to the dry season. (dre)
