Flooding has the potential to occur again in West Kalimantan in early May due to extreme weather

Flooding has the potential to occur again in West Kalimantan in early May. Because, on May 1-3, extreme weather is predicted.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

The clouds in the sky of Pontianak City, West Kalimantan, are starting to darken, Wednesday (1/5/2024).

PONTIANAK, KOMPAS — Floods have the potential to occur again in West Kalimantan in early May 2024. Because, in the period 1-3 May, extreme weather is predicted to occur a>. In fact, in Pontianak City, heavy rain is predicted to coincide with the period of maximum sea water tide. Therefore, the public is asked to be aware of the impact.

Forecasters from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Supadio Pontianak Airport, West Kalimantan, Noven, Wednesday (1/5/2024), explained that there is the potential for an increase in rain intensity on May 1-3. The potential for rain is quite high and evenly distributed throughout the Kalbar region, especially on 2-3 May.

On May 1st, there is a potential increase in rainfall with moderate to heavy intensity compared to the end of April. This increase in rainfall potential is still mainly focused in the eastern part of West Kalimantan, including Kapuas Hulu Regency, Sintang Regency, Melawi Regency, and Sekadau Regency. Then, in the northern part of West Kalimantan, namely Sambas Regency, Landak Regency, and parts of Singkawang City.

Meanwhile, on May 2nd, there is a moderate to heavy potential for rainfall throughout West Kalimantan. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has also issued an early warning due to the potential impacts of heavy rainfall, such as floods, puddles, and landslides.

"Based on impact-based forecasts on May 2nd, the weather impact is quite high. Therefore, in all districts, there are areas that are categorized as cautious due to heavy rainfall," said Noven.

Apart from rainfall, the maximum tide period also needs to be watched out for. The maximum tide period from May 1-3 in Pontianak City coincides with the potential for heavy rainfall. The impact can be even greater as the high tide and rainfall occur at the same time.

Regarding the matter, Chairman of the Disaster Information Task Force at the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of West Kalimantan, Daniel, stated on Wednesday morning that the BPBD of West Kalimantan province and its districts/cities are ready in terms of personnel and equipment to anticipate potential disasters. The community has also been urged to increase their awareness by anticipating floods in their surroundings.

BMKG BANDARA SUPADIO PONTIANAK

Impact-based weather forecast for West Kalimantan for May 2.

One form of anticipation includes recognizing the potential disasters in their area. Then, preparing safe gathering points in case of disaster. In addition, they should also have government contact numbers for the village or district that can be contacted in case of a disaster.

"In West Kalimantan there are 472 villages/sub-districts prone to flooding," said Daniel.

The West Kalimantan BPBD has also urged district/city governments to declare a state of emergency for disasters. This is important to ensure that disaster management access can be optimized in the future.

Floods have occurred several times in West Kalimantan since January. In fact, floods have been the most frequent disaster in West Kalimantan during January-March, with 16 incidents in 10 districts. As many as 29,230 families or 102,671 people and 24,765 houses were affected by the floods during that period.

In April, floods also occurred in Senakin Hamlet, Sengah Temila Subdistrict, Landak Regency on April 17th. As many as 674 families and 2,483 individuals, as well as 674 homes, were affected by the flood. Floods also hit two villages in Belimbing Hulu Subdistrict, Melawi Regency on April 21st. A total of 103 families or 412 people, as well as 103 homes, were affected.

Floods have become the most frequent disaster in West Kalimantan during January-March, with 16 incidents occurring in 10 regencies. As many as 29,230 families or 102,671 individuals and 24,765 houses were affected by floods during that period.

Landslides also occurred on April 11, thus blocking access from Putussibau, the capital of Kapuas Hulu District, to the Indonesian-Malaysian border. The location is precisely in Lanjak Deras Village, Batang Lupar District, due to heavy rains.

Also read: Inundation Still Threatens Pontianak City

Flooding also still threatens Pontianak City, the capital of West Kalimantan, during heavy rain. On Wednesday (27/3/2024), a number of roads leading to residential areas were flooded with 10-45 cm of water after heavy rain. Kompas notes, a similar incident has occurred since at least 1999. The heavy rain that hit Pontianak from Saturday (2/1/1999) night to Sunday (3/1/1999) morning at that time caused the Landak and Kapuas Rivers to collapse. overflowing.

DOKUMENTASI WARGA

Residents in RT 009 RW 017, Pal IX Village, Sungai Kakap District, Kubu Raya Regency, West Kalimantan, clean up the environment on Sunday (27/4/2024).

Regarding the potential for extreme weather in early May, residents are starting to be cautious. Benus Syamsiar (40), a resident of RT 099 RW 017 in Pal IX Village, Sungai Kakap District, Kubu Raya Regency, stated that he has prepared a machine to drain puddles at home. His house was flooded in March. Learning from that experience, he bought a water suction machine.

Also read: Buried by landslides, access to the RI-Malaysia border in Kapuas Hulu cannot yet be crossed normally

In addition, on Sunday (27/4/2024), all residents of the complex were urged to participate in a cleaning event to maintain the environment. One of the goals is to prevent flooding during heavy rain.

"The ditch containing the rubbish has been cleaned so that the flow runs smoothly," said Benus.