FLOODS SUBMERGE WIDER AREA IN KARAWANG DISTRICT

Karawang, W Java, March 25 (ANTARA) - Floods caused by the overflowing of the Citarum River on Thursday proved to have inundated a wider area of Karawang district than the day before.

At least 35 villages in 10 sub-districts with more than 15,000 houses were submerged. If on Wednesday, a total of 31 villages were inundated, the number had increased to 35 on Thursday.
According to Karawang district's social welfare authorities, the worst hit villages were found in the sub-districts of Telukjambe Timur, Karawang Barat, and Pakisjaya.

In the three sub-districts, the height of the flood waters was between 50 centimeters and two meters. In certain areas, the flood waters even reached house roofs.

Head of Karawang district's social welfare office, Banuara Nadeak, said the overflowing of the Citarum River was the cause of the floods in 10 sub-districts.

The sub-districts are Telukjambe Timur, Karawang Barat, Pakisjaya, Telukjambe Barat, Ciampel, Batujaya, Pakisjaya, Rengasdengklok, Jayakerta, and Klari, he said.

In order to halt the spread of floods to other areas, the head of the Karawang district administration, Dadang S. Muchtar, had asked the Jatiluhur Dam authorities to optimize the release of water from the dam.

By optimizing the dam water release, the floods could be halted from submerging a more areas along the Citarum Rivers in Karawang and Bekasi districts, he said.

On Wednesday, Vice President Boediono had ordered Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Radjasa to pay serious attention to the fate of farmers whose paddy fields were destroyed by floods.

Vice President Boediono asked Hatta to assess the impacts of floods on the rice production parts of Karawang district, he said.

The local farmers themselves had expressed their deep concern about the natural disaster's impacts.

Over the past weeks, torrential rains have been showering various parts of Indonesia, causing floods and landslides in some areas.

This week, the floods have not only inundated the Karawang areas but also Sarolangun district in Jambi Province.

A total of 2,674 buildings in Sarolangun district were submerged after the Batanghari River overflowed last Tuesday.

On the same day, floods also inundated around 7,000 houses in the subdistricts of Baleendah, Dayeuhkolot and Bojongsoang, Bandung district, following the overflowing of the Citarum river.

On March 11, a landslide hit Ciawitali hamlet, Sukamekar village, Sukanagara sub-district in the West Java regency of Cianjur, destroyed five houses and killed 10 people.