Parts of Southeast Sulawesi Still Isolated

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Residents transport motorcycles using a raft in Hongoa village, Pondidaha, Konawe regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Saturday (15/6/2019). Floods of up to 2 meters in depth cut off the main transportation routes in a number of regions in Southeast Sulawesi. Around 10,000 families were affected by the flood, which is claimed to be the worst in the area.

KENDARI, KOMPAS —  As of Sunday (16/6/2019), four regencies in Southeast Sulawesi were still flooded. Thousands were at temporary shelters or chose to remain in their homes, inundated 1-meter-deep in floodwater. Local transportation remained paralyzed as several bridges were impassable and roads were inundated by 1.5-meter-deep floodwater. Parts of North Konawe regency were isolated.

In Konawe regency, flooding on Sunday was not too different from that on previous days. The Jl. Trans Sulawesi in Pondidaha district, connecting Kendari city to Konawe regency, was inundated by more than 1-meter-deep floodwater.

Two individuals staying at a displaced persons shelter in SMA 1 Pondidaha state high school died at almost the same time. A 4-day-old infant died after being referred to Konawe hospital while Daeng Situju, 50, died at Abu Nawas Hospital in Kenari.

Konawe Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BPBD) Amiruddin said that both had been ill. “The infant might have suffered from the cold air. I am waiting for the full report,” he said.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Two women of Laosu Jaya village, Bondoala district, Konawe regencies, Southeast Sulawesi, carry food aid on Thursday (13/6/2019). Clean water, food and baby diapers are badly needed by the residents whose houses were inundated for more than a week. As many as 10,000 families have been affected by the floods, which inundated four regencies in Southeast Sulawesi.

Officers from Konawe BPBD, local search and rescue (SAR) team, local administration and agencies strove to fulfill displaced persons needs. However, public services were far from optimal because of high levels of inundation.

So far, roads and thousands of homes remain inundated as the flood has yet to recede after 10 days.

Professor Husna Faad Maonde at Haluoleo University’s school of forestry and maritime sciences said that rampant land conversion into mines and oil palm plantations was strongly believed to be the main cause of the massive flooding. Thorough resolution is urgent to prevent worse floods in the future.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Eva Sarnesia, only 16 hours old when this photo was taken, sleeps in a displaced person shelter in SMA 1 Pondidaha senior high school building, Konawe regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Friday (14/6/2019). Besides paralyzing the traffic, the floods that inundated four regencies in Southeast Sulawesi affected 10,000 families.

“Despite the need for more research, I can safely say that around 70 percent of forest coverage [in Southeast Sulawesi] has disappeared due to land conversion into large-scale mines or plantations. Critical land in Southeast Sulawesi is 885,000 hectares wide as of 2012,” Husna said.

In 2011, she researched the upstream region on Langgikima, North Konawe regency. A majority of trees in the region have been replaced with oil palms. Two years before that, the forest was still lush. Nowadays, Langgikima district is severely flooded and isolated.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Residents of Laosu Jaya village, Bondoala district, Konawe regency, Southeast Sulawesi, transport basic goods on a raft on Thursday (13/6/2019). Clean water, food and baby diapers are badly needed by the residents whose houses were inundated for more than a week. As many as 10,000 families have been affected by the floods, which inundated four regencies in Southeast Sulawesi.

Mahakam Ulu

In East Kalimantan, most parts of Mahakam Ulu regency are also still inundated as the Mahakam River has been overflowing since Thursday. A joint team is still monitoring and making a database of the impacts of the flood.

As of Sunday, parts of Datah Bilang village, Long Hubung district, were still inundated 50 centimeters deep. Locals moved to relatives’ homes on higher ground. Around 1,000 individuals were affected by the flood. “We are having difficulties in making a database as villages are separated from one another along the Mahakam River,” Mahakam Ulu administration spokesman Engelbertus Ibrahim said.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Motorcycles are transported on a raft made of a bed along the flooded road in Hongua village, Pondidaha district, Konawe regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Saturday (15/6/2019). Besides paralyzing traffic, the floods that inundated four regencies in Southeast Sulawesi affected 10,000 families.

In Long Bagun district, floods are beginning to recede. Locals have returned to their homes and the electricity supply has returned. This has been among the most severe floods since 2005. (JAL/CIP)