Floods Inundate Villages In South Sumatra

PALEMBANG, S Sumatra, Nov 15 (Antara) - Floods have inundated several villages located in the districts of Ogan Komering Ilir and Muaraenim, South Sumatra Province, over the past two days. "Rains were forecast to continue to fall and therefore everyone must remain vigilant," Indra Purna, spokesman of the South Sumatra Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Office, said here on Tuesday. The precipitation intensity is quite high, up to 400 mm, and this condition could trigger natural disasters such as landslides and floods. Flood-disaster regions in South Sumatra include Palembang, Lahat, Musirawas, Banyuasin and Musi Banyuasin. Landslide-prone regions in the province include Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU), South OKU, Empat Lawang and Pagaralam. In the meantime, the National Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency (BMKG) has forecast that moderate to high intensity rainfall will hit areas across Indonesia this November. South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatera, Banten, West Java, Jakarta and surroundings, Central Java, East Java, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua and Papua Provinces will witness rainfall. Therefore, the agency has urged people living in disaster-prone areas to remain vigilant and prepared to deal with any disasters to prevent casualties. The country is, however, expecting the rainy season to peak in January and February 2017, especially in Jakarta and its suburban areas. Nearly 99 percent of the natural disasters hitting Indonesia are hydro-meteorological in nature, such as floods, landslides and whirlwinds. According to the data of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), at least 315 districts and municipalities across the country are prone to flooding. Floods can possibly affect more than 63.7 million people. Some 274 districts and municipalities are at risk of landslides. During January and February 2016 alone, floods and landslides had struck 260 districts and municipalities in the country, leaving 46 people dead and 16 others injured.