Filed under: Flood
Samarinda Flood Spreading
Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA News) – The flood that hit the East Kalimantan provincial capital of Samarinda over the past week has been spreading to six villages in two subdistricts.
By Sunday at least 4,547 houses in North Samarinda and Samarinda Ulu subdistricts were inundated compared to 3,989 houses in North Samarinda last Saturday, according to data from the disaster mitigation command post.
“Yesterday (last Satrurday) only four villages in North Samarinda subdistrict were flooded. But by Sunday afternoon the flood has spread and inundated part of Sidodadi and Gunung Kelua villages in Samarinda Ulu subdistrict,” rescue worker Gusti Ahmad said.
He predicted more and more areas would be flooded as the Mahakam River which flows through the city continued to overflow.
“The flood water has shown no sign of receding. The water level is likely to rise as the Mahakam River usually overflows ahead of the full moon,” he said.
An Antara journalist observed the water level in a number of flooded roads including Jl. Ruhui Rahaya, dr Sutomo, M. Yamin and PM Noor continued to increase on Sunday, forcing the traffic police to close the roads.
The water level on the roads reached 30 cm-50 cm.(*)
Filed under: Flood
The World Bank warned Thursday that an exceptionally high tide could
inundate the Indonesian capital next week, forcing thousands of
people to flee homes and cutting off the highway to the
international airport.
The situation — exacerbated by global warming and the fact that
Jakarta is sinking up to 2 inches a year — could mean flooding will
exceed last November’s roof-high levels in the hardest-hit areas,
said Hongjoo Hahm, the bank’s infrastructure expert.
“This is just the beginning,” he said, as he pointed to homes
reaching a mile inland that will likely be affected Tuesday and
Wednesday by the 18-year semiannual tide cycle. “It’s getting worse
and worse.”
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago nation, is one of the world’s
largest contributors of carbon dioxide emissions, thanks to the
rapid pace of deforestation. But experts say the country is also at
risk of becoming one of the biggest victims of climate change.
Rising sea waters especially pose a threat to coastal cities like
Jakarta, which has sunk at least 7 feet in the last three decades
because of excessive ground water extraction, said Hahm.
Eventually, the government should consider building a Dutch-styled
dike to protect the Jakarta Bay, he said, “but that will cost
billions of U.S. dollars.”
The 18-year high tide cycles occur when the sun and moon are in
direct alignment and making their closest approach to the Earth.
Other factors, such as global warming or El Nino and La Nina, have
made the sea swells even larger in recent years, Hahm said
