Floods Submerge 1,748 Hectares Of Rice In Langkat

Langkat, North Sumatra, Oct 24 (Antara) - Floods have inundated 1,748 hectares of rice fields in nine sub-districts in Langkat District, North Sumatra Province. Of the 1,748-ha flood-affected rice fields, 945 hectares are located in Tanjungpura, 484 hectares in Stabat, 192 hectares in Secanggang, 35 hectares in Sirapit, 24 hectares in Batang Serangan, 35 hectares in Hinai, 14 hectares in Binjai, and seven hectares in Padang Tualang, stated Basrah Daulay, the head of the Langkat agricultural office, here on Thursday. The flooding negatively impacted paddy harvests. Floodwaters reaching a height of 60 centimetres submerged 12 villages in Tanjungpura Sub-district, Langkat District, North Sumatra Province, after continual heavy rainfall caused the Batang Serangan River to overflow. The 12 villages struck by floods were Pematang Cengal Barat, Pematang Cengal, Karya Maju, Pantai Cermin, Lalang, Pekubuan, Pematang Serai, Pekan Tanjungpura, Baja Kuning, Paya Perupuk, Pulau Banyak, and Teluk Bakung, remarked Tanjungpura Sub-district Head Surianto recently. Of the 12 villages, Pematang Cengal, Pematang Cengal Barat, and Karya Maju were the worst hit, he noted. Most of the villagers were evacuated to safer areas. More than four thousand houses were flooded across the 12 villages. The local authorities have set up health posts and emergency tents for the victims. Relief aid, comprising some six tons of rice and 320 boxes of instant noodles, was distributed among the flood victims. Meanwhile, about 1.5 thousand houses were inundated in Tebing Tinggi town, North Sumatra Province, after the Padang and Bahilang rivers overflowed on Saturday. According to Wahid Sitorus, head of the Tebing Tinggi disaster mitigation agency, the floods have affected four sub-districts: Bajenis, Tebing Tinggi, Rambutan, and Padang Hulu. Some six thousand people were forced to move to higher ground, he stated.