REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BALIKPAPAN – Overflowing of Merdeka River caused floods in Sungai Merdeka village, Samboja sub-district, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. The floods inundated some 200 hectares of rice fields and fish ponds last week, a farmer organization said.
Faridah Hanum, head of the association of farmers Tani Abadi, says in Sungai Merdeka on Tuesday that 145 of 200 hectares land cannot be planted in the past year due to inundations.
The rice fields of the villagers are now marshes behind the hills of Jalan Soekarno-Hatta. "Our material loss has amounted to hundreds of millions of IDR. There will be no harvest this March," Abdul Jabar, a leading farmer said. It means they have to buy rice.
The people see the existing nearby coal mines as the main cause of the floods. The mines are located in west or east of the village.
The mines cause Merdeka river to become shallow because of sedimentation or deposits. Furthermore, the coal mines also cause the land unable to absorb the rainfall. As an impact, the rainwater flows to the river and causes its overflowing.
“We had never had such floods before the coal mines operated,” explained Said, a resident who had been a farmer in Samboja since the 70s.
Yet, PT Singlurus refuted the claim. The mining company pointed to the mines downstream instead.
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