FLOODS INUNDATE RICE FIELDS IN BOJONEGORO

Bojonegoro, East Java, Dec. 17 (ANTARA) - Floods inundated hundreds of hectares of rice fields at several villages in Bojonegoro, East Java, following incessant downpours over the past two days.
At Sukerojo, flood submerged 107 hectares of 10-20-day-old paddy fields, Sukerojo Village Head Budi Suprayitno said here on Wednesday.
The floodwaters reaching a height of 50 cm also inundated some 60 houses, he said.
"The residents have not yet evacuated themselves to higher ground despite the rising floodwaters," he said.
He expressed his worries that the paddy plants would be spoiled if the flood stayed for three days.
"If the paddies are spoiled, the farmers have to plant and look for fertilizer again," he said.
Some 24 streams of the Bengawan Solo River were currently full and even overflowed, said Mulyono, coordinator of the Bengawan Solo river management office's security and control unit.
Hectares of rice fields and housing areas located along the river banks were inundated, he said.
Indonesia is currently in the rainy season and a number of provinces including Aceh, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, West Java, and Central Sulawesi have experienced big floods due to the increased rainfall.
A flood reaching a height of between one and 1.5 meter, affected Pipitteja village, Teluk Keramat sub district, Sambas District, or 250 km north of Pontianak on Wednesday.