MOST HILLY REGIONS IN N SUMATRA LANDSLIDE-PRONE IN SEPTEMBER

Medan, N Sumatra, Sept 4 (ANTARA) - Nearly all hilly parts of North Sumatra will be prone to landslides in September 2009 when the second phase of the rainy season arrives, the region's geophysics agency said.

"Almost all parts of North Sumatra lying on or near hills will have a high landslide potential in September," Hendra Suwarta, an officer at the North Sumatra Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BBMKG), said here Friday.

However, according to readings from existing early warning systems, the threat of landslides was now still at the "medium" level, he said. Besides, the possibility of landslides also depended on the rainfall's volume and intensity.

People need to take precautionary steps against the possibility of landslides due to heavy rainfall, he said.

The BBMKG would set up weather information posts along the routes of people traveling ahead and during the Idul Fitri holidays later in September, he added. The posts would start operating 14 days before Idul Fitri and continue funcioning until 14 days after the festivity.