FIVE-HUNDRED HOUSES IN S KALIMANTAN SUBMERGED

Kotabaru, S Kalimantan, April 15 (ANTARA) - A flood inundated about 500 houses in Dukuh Rejo village, Mentewe sub-district, Tanah Bambu regency, South Kalimantan Province, since Wednesday.

Secretary of Tanah Bambu regency's social welfare and transmigration office, Ardiansyah, said here Thursday the one-meter-high flood had isolated lots of local residents.

"The flood water isolates a lot of residents and cuts off roads linking Dukuh Rejo village to its neighboring villages in Mentewe sub-district," he said.

Ardiansyah said the flood water might still go up because heavy rains tended to keep showering Rejo hamlet and its surrounding areas.

"We are prepared to evacuate the flood victims to higher areas," he said, adding that the social welfare workers had built a shelter camp for displaced people.

Meanwhile, the flood inundating the areas of Gunung Purei sub-district, Central Kalimantan Province, had receded on Thursday but tens of houses were still submerged.

Head of Gunung Purei sub-district, Haderani, said the worst-flooded village was Lampeong II in which tens of houses there were still inundated.

A group of family members took refuge after their house was brought by the river's strong currents.

The Wednesday's flood was caused by hours of heavy rainfall, he said, adding that material losses that local residents suffered from the natural disaster were still calculated.

Local humanitarian workers had distributed food packages to the flood victims, said Asil Sirait, a local government official who is in charge of handling the impact of natural disaster.