REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG ARO -- Floods from overflowing of a river bank submerged about 200 residential houses in Sungai Pagu Sub-District, South Solok District, West Sumatra, early on Sunday (23/11).
Local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Head Editorial said here on Sunday incessant heavy rain that fell from Saturday until early on Sunday had caused the Batang Suliti River in the area to overflow its banks.
The flood waters that submerged houses reached a height of 1.5 meters.
He said that the heavy rains caused the river to be unable to hold the water volumes inundating 200 houses in two blocks of Nagari Pasar Muaralabuh and one block in Nagari Pasir Talang, Sungai Pagu Sub-District.
The floods occurred at 3.0 a.m. Luckily, flood waters receded fast and there was no need to evacuate about 1,000 residents.
Solok Selatatn District Head Abdul Rahman who inspected the flooding location said the local government has tried to widen the Batang Suiliti River to cope with annual floods in the area.
"We are planning to widen the river to about 500 meters but we are still constrained by the problem of land clearance," he said.
Last week, floods also inundated 841 houses in Silaut Sub-District, South Pesisir District, West Sumatra Province, following incessant rains that lashed the area, a BPBD official said.
The flooding, which started at 10 p.m. local time, last Thursday rose to a waist-high level, the BPBD Head of Emergency and Logistics Medi Yuherman revealed on Friday.
The inundated houses are located in the villages of Sungai Sirah, Sungai Serik, Sungai Pulai, Talang Binjai, Pasir Binjai, and Air Hitam.
The flooding has severely affected the lives of 316 families in Air Hitam, 210 families in Sungai Serik, 200 families in Sungai Pulai, 50 families in Pasir Binjai, 43 families in Sungai Sirah, and 22 families in Talang Binjai, Yuherman remarked.
In a bid to help the victims, the BPBD deployed 15 personnel in the disaster-hit zone. They are not just handling the situation but also distributing ready-to-eat meals, he stated.
Medi reported that the district's local government also provided food aid packages comprising rice, instant noodles, and cooking oil for the affected people.
Disaster management equipment are also being deployed in order to distribute humanitarian aid and evacuate the local residents.
The flood situation is forecast to continue for another day due to the ongoing incessant rains, Medi affirmed.
"The Silaut Sub-District is often hit by floods during every rainy season as it does not have a good drainage system. Transportation is also often hindered due to the inundated roads," claimed Syafril, a 53-year-old local resident.
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