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ulky waste like washing machines, water tanks and beds thrown into the East Flood Canal in Semarang, Central Java, has been blamed for recent flooding in the Kaligawe Bridge area.

The floods inundated at least two villages in Karang Kimpul Kidul, Kaligawe. No casualties have been reported, but a house has been severely damaged.

Such waste is present in the river despite the local administration having allocated Rp 485 billion (US$33.19 million) to dredge the waterway. The dredging project started in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2019.

Ruhban Ruzziyatno, the head of a local agency overseeing rivers, said that the Kaligawe Bridge area had been clogged by the discarded furniture, appliances and equipment.

“The flooding was not caused by an infrastructure breakdown but simply because the water level rose because the water could not freely flow because of the waste,” he said.

The agency has since deployed two excavators to dredge the river and planned to send another two to prevent more flooding.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo called on his subordinates to step up efforts to address the issue.

“If the residents insist on throwing things into the river, we should resort to legal action,” he said.