TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Flooded Riau village draws in hundreds of tourists
Hundreds of people flocked to a flooded street in Buluh Cina village on Wednesday, with many of them bringing along their children to play in the floodwater.
Change Size
Visitors of a flooded street in Buluh Cina village in Kampar regency, Riau, enjoy some leisure time on Wednesday. (kompas.com/IDON)
W
hile floods are usually seen as an unwanted natural disaster, a village inundated with floodwater in Kampar regency, Riau, has instead become a destination for local tourists who are looking for a place to spend their year-end holiday.
Hundreds of people flocked to a flooded street in Buluh Cina village on Wednesday, with many of them bringing along their children to play in the floodwater.
Some children were seen swimming with pool floats, while others rented wooden motorboats to travel around the inundated village, kompas.com reported.
Farhan, a visitor from Pekanbaru, said he had already taken his children to the village twice this holiday season.
“I took them here to play in the water as well as to visit the fish market since they’re on a school holiday,” he said.
Since the flood currents were strong, Farhan said he always kept an eye on his children.
Rosmiati, another visitor, said she took her daughter to play in Buluh Cina almost every day since her own village was located nearby.
“I’m not really worried about letting her play around here, since I always watch over her,” she said, admitting that the currents were indeed strong due to rising water levels.
Local authorities have warned visitors to be cautious when playing in the floodwater, especially as water levels differ depending on the area, ranging from 50 centimeters to 1 meter in depth.
Security officers were seen standing guard in the area in case of emergency situations, such as drowning or being swept away by the water.
“Please always watch over your children, especially if they cannot swim, as we don’t want any casualties to occur here,” Buluh Cina village head-elect Azrianto advised visitors.
Kampar is one of six regencies in Riau that has been hit hard by floods this month, with the natural disaster affecting hundreds of villages and more than 25,000 households in the province.
The Riau provincial administration declared a state of emergency that will last for 11 days from Dec. 20 to Dec. 31. (dpk)
