SENTANI, KOMPAS —Four spots along the riverbank can not be inhabited by residents after flash floods hit Sentani, Jayapura regency, Papua, killing 105 people on March 16, 2019. The four locations are Doyo Baru, Kemiri, Daerah Sosial and Dobokuro.
Papua River Agency head Yulianus Mambrasar said in Sentani on March 31 that the four locations along the riverbank were not suitable for living, let alone for setting up temporary shelters, because they were prone to flooding.
Signs of flooding at the four locations were seen when rain fell in the area on Saturday (3/30) from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The rain created 20-centimeter-high puddles in Daerah Sosial and Kemiri.
“Based on field reports, there were more landslides on Mount Cycloop. This landslide has possibly created a new river stream,” Yulianus said.
Yulianus said his office had closed three new river streams that brought stone and mud to the housing area and public roads. The river stream from the three “new rivers” was diverted to the main river, the Kemiri River. “Our team is also still tracking the possibility of a new river stream,” he said.
Given this condition, the residents are being urged not to return even temporarily to settlements on the riverbank. This is because flash floods still could hit Sentani.
“Soil conditions and weather on Mount Cycloop cannot be predicted as of now. There is still material in Cycloop that is prone to causing landslides,” Yulianus said.
Severe damage
Yesterday, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimulyono visited the riverbank and the Nauly residential complex in the Doyo Baru area in Sentani. The Nauly housing complex is one of the areas that was badly damaged by flash floods that hit 12 districts in Jayapura regency on March 16.
According to Basuki, the overflow of water from the river is cyclical and often occurs every five to six years. However, this year’s overflow has been massive.
Furthermore, there has been a change in the conditions of the natural environment. Giving an example, Basuki said the hill in the Doyo Baru area, which functions as a river flow barrier, had been flattened.
One of the efforts that can be made by the ministry to overcome this situation is to divert the flow of the river. Embankment dam facilities such as on Mount Merapi, which are facilities to divert water flow, will be built in place.
“We will conduct an analysis and then build embankments to control the river so that it does not endanger the densely populated settlements,” he said.
Regarding the construction of temporary housing, the Public Works and Housing Ministry will coordinate with the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry, the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and the Jayapura regency administration. “The goal is to have temporary housing development in locations that are safe from flooding,” Basuki said.
Holtekamp Bridge
Yesterday, Basuki also visited the newly constructed Holtekamp Bridge, which was built to support the development of Jayapura City. The bridge cuts travel time from Jayapura to the Papua New Guinea border area at Muara Tami Station from around two hours to 30 minutes. The 7,410-meter-long bridge was built with a budget of Rp 900 billion. The total cost of bridge and road construction in the area reached Rp 1.3 trillion.
“This [construction of the bridge] has been completed. The only part that is unfinished is a 7-kilometer road from Muara Tami district that has not been paved. We are currently working on it. It might be finished in July 2019,” said Basuki. (FLO/E13)