Floods, landslides hit Indonesia ahead of year-end holidays

Jakarta, Dec 23 Floods and landslides have been hitting several regions in the Southeast Asian archipelago in the past week, as millions of travellers began to hit the road and flock to popular tourist sites for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

More than 55,000 residents living in the region of Barru in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi have been affected by floods reaching a depth of up to 1.2 metres and landslides in several areas since last week. The country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) also reported that one has been killed in the disaster in the region.

"The flood-affected areas include several villages in seven sub-districts," said Abdul Muhari, BNPB spokesperson, on Monday, adding that some major roads were closed in landslides, hampering accessibility for those affected residents.

The regional authorities, Muhari said, have conducted emergency response efforts, including providing temporary shelters for those in need.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, more than 10,000 residents living near the northern coastline have been affected by tidal floods since Friday. The floodwaters reached a depth of up to 1 metre in some areas, causing traffic and train service disruptions.

The city administration and the central government have been developing more than 20 km of sea dike in the city's northern area in the past few years to prevent coastal flooding, Xinhua news agency reported.

The tidal flooding has reportedly also hit Banyuwangi in the province of East Java since Sunday, inundating 1200 homes.

Floods triggered by heavy rains also hit the country's popular holiday island of Bali, where a number of major roads have been inundated. Some tourists were reportedly evacuated using rescue boats. Local authorities were also forced to carry out suction with water pumps and regulate traffic flow to manage the situation.

Torrential rains continued to hit some regions despite the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) along with relevant stakeholders having carried out weather modification efforts to reduce rain intensity over the past two weeks.

The BMKG has warned that most of Indonesia is entering the rainy season, with rainfall intensity expected to increase by 20 per cent due to a weak La Nina, which typically brings wetter conditions.

The rainy season is projected to peak in late December for most of Sumatra and southern Java, while central and northern Java will likely see the peak in January.