Flood Affecting Tangerang-Merak Toll Road Begins To Subside

Serang, Banten, Jan 11 (ANTARA) - Flood affecting Tangerang-Merak toll road at Km 57-58 has started to subside on Thursday evening, reducing the floodwaters at a height of less than one meter. The flood began to subside but the toll road is still closed, Indah Permanasari, a spokesman of the toll road, said here on Thursday evening. The toll road has been closed since Wednesday at 11.43 pm local time due to the flood which was triggered by the overflowing of Ciujung River. Residential areas located along Ciujung River are also flooded, forcing local inhabitants to evacuate themselves to higher ground at the toll road area. A number of emergency camps have been set up along Km 57 and Km 58 to accommodate the flood victims. Meanwhile, it is reported that floods hit nine sub-districts in Lebak district, Banten province, on Wednesday as a number of rivers overflowed following heavy rains overnight. "Up till now we are evacuating residents from flood-hit areas where the water level reaches 70 cm to 2 m deep," the day-to-day chief of the Lebak district natural disaster mitigation board, Muklis said on Wednesday. Floods and landslides triggered by incessant heavy rains over the past few days have killed three residents of Lebak District, Banten Province. The flood victims were Warsiti, 65, a resident of Talun village, Cibadak sub district; Dadang, 35, of Kujang Sari, Cibeber sub district; and Mustopa, 16, of Sidnangsari, Sajira sub district, Muklis, the head of the Lebak disaster mitigation office, said here, Thursday. The floodwaters submerged thousands of houses in Lebak District, and landslides damaged 51 houses. A total of 33 sub districts in five districts in Banten Province have been hit by floods. The flood-affected sub districts include Rangkasbitung, Kalanganyar, Cibadak, Cimarga, Leuwidamar, Banjarsari, Lebak Gedong, Panggarangan, Wanasalam, Gunungkencana, Cilograng, Muncang, Cikulur, Sobang, and Cibeber.