YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS — Landslides hit Sleman and Kulon Progo regencies, Yogyakarta. Landslides also occurred in Cianjur, West Java. On Thursday, floods inundated more than 1,600 houses in Solo, Sukoharjo and Karanganyar, Central Java. Floods also hit Sampang, East Java; West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan and Pelalawan, Riau.
In Magelang, Central Java, storms and heavy rain on Wednesday evening uprooted tens of trees around the resort area of Mt. Tidar. “This is the first time the trees in Mt. Tidar have been uprooted by a disaster,” Mt. Tidar Management Unit head Widodo said on Thursday. The trees were between 300 meters and 506 meters above sea level (asl). They were banyan, pine and palm trees. They were predominantly 40-50 years old.
In downtown Magelang, eight trees collapsed on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Tidar and Jl. Jend. Sudirman. Trees also fell at the Military Academy, Borobudur International Golf and Country Club and residential areas in Bulurejo village, Mertoyudan, Magelang. No fatalities were reported, but four houses were slightly damaged.
Based on Kompas’ observation, landslides also happened in Turgo, Purwobinangun village, Pakem district, Sleman. A 20-meter gorge collapsed at around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Landslides also occurred at the border between Purwobinangun and Girikerto villages, Turi district, Sleman. Parts of the road sank and the asphalt was damaged.
Heavy rain also caused a 15 m gorge in Klangon, Banjaroya village, Kalibawang district, Kulonprogo, to collapse. The landslide blocked the road connecting Kalibawang district, Kulonprogo, to Muntilan district, Magelang.
“Motorists were told to be cautious due to the unstable terrain. More rain could cause more landslides,” Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Kulonprogo head Gusdi Hartono said.
In West Java, heavy rain and storms have caused trees on a 15 m cliff in
Sindanglaya village, Cipanas district, Cianjur, to collapse. The road connecting Bogor and Cianjur was blocked by the fallen trees and a landslide spanning 50 meters. It triggered 5 kilometers of traffic congestion lasting hours. “Tonight, the traffic has returned to normal,” Cianjur Traffic Police head Erik Bangun said.
Flood
The flooding, at 50 to 100 centimeters, inundated areas in the districts of Dayeuhkolot, Baleendah and Majalaya, West Java. It has affected nearly 11,000 people in the past three days. Meanwhile, 1,684 houses were submerged due to the overflowing of the Bengawan Solo River and some tributaries in Solo, Sukoharjo and Karanganyar, Central Java, on Thursday.
The floods were triggered by heavy rain in Solo and nearby regencies such as Klaten, Boyolali, Karanganyar, Sukoharjo and Wonogiri on Wednesday afternoon lasting into the night. Consequently, Bengawan Solo River and some tributaries, such as Kalianyar, Jenes and Kali Wingko overflowed.
At dawn on Thursday, Sampang was hit by another flood when the floodwater from the previous flood was still 30 to 50 cm high. The flood inundated the villages of Pasean, Panggung and Gunung Maddah as well as subdistricts of Dalpenang and Rong Tengah. About 3,748 houses were submerged.
Floods did not only hit areas in Java. The flood that inundated seven villages in two districts of Arut Utara and Arut Selatan, West Kotawaringin regency, Central Kalimantan, in the past six days has not receded.
“The flood expanded and the floodwater increased from 80 cm to 1 m. The heavy rain made the Arut River overflow,” BPBD West Kotawaringin prevention head Pahrul said from Palangkaraya on Thursday.
In Pelalawan, Riau, BPBD Pelalawan head Hadi Penandio said the flood in Lubuk Kembang Bunga village and Air Hitam village, Ukui district, on Thursday decreased to 30 cm from 1.5 m previously. “But the land access to the two villages was still closed. We are worried the floodwater will rise again because heavy rain hit the two villages on Thursday afternoon. We have setup tents and a public kitchen for any residents taking refuge,” he said.
MJO phenomenon
Pekanbaru Meteorology Station head Sugarin said the rain potential in Riau was still high. “There is Madden-Julian Oscillation [MJO] in Riau. It is an atmospheric phenomenon that causes more rainfall in the surrounding area,” Sugarin said.
In Kediri, East Java, the powerful stream and the high outflow of the Brantas River damaged the Mrican Bridge, a century old bridge connecting Jabon village, Banyakan district and Jongbiru village in the Gampengrejo district on Wednesday at around 11:30 p.m.
The collapsed bridge has forced residents to take a longer route via Semampir Bridge, 2 km to the south or Gampengrejo Dam, 3 km to the north.
(TAM/RON/HRS/BKY/IDO/ SAH/RWN/EGI/DIM/ WER/DIA/SYA/ODY/SEM)