Vice President Ma’ruf Amin on Friday urged the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and the Social Affairs Ministry to take immediate steps to mitigate the impact of flash floods and landslides in Jayapura, Papua.
According to the Jayapura Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, the flood forced 500 people to flee and seek shelter in the homes of their closest relatives, he said.
At present, the regional agency’s personnel are still evacuating flood and landslide victims in Jayapura, he noted.
Heavy rains since Thursday evening (January 6, 2022) caused flooding and landslides in several sub-districts of Jayapura City, including North Jayapura, South Jayapura, Abepura, Heram, and Muara Tami.
The water level in flood-affected areas was reported to average one and a half to two meters, and the water level in the Yotefa Abepura Market area reached as high as three meters, Amin noted.
The flood killed seven people. It also flooded and caused power outages in residential areas and public facilities, according to preliminary data from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Amin ordered the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and the Social Affairs Ministry to immediately take mitigation measures with the help of the national defense and police forces.
For long-term disaster mitigation, anticipation must be made upon the sources which impose the risk of natural disasters to minimize their impact, he said.
It is also necessary to develop the public’s preparedness for disasters by conducting disaster mitigation and optimizing disaster risk reduction in a sustainable manner, he added.
Amin made the remarks during a two-day work visit to Palu City (January 6–7, 2022). One of the agendas for his visit was a meeting with local governments to discuss bolstering economic recovery, improving public services, and empowering MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises).
He was scheduled to return to Jakarta, via Mutiara Sis Aljufri Airport, Palu, after performing Friday prayers at Almujahidin Mosque in the Central Sulawesi Governor’s Office complex, Palu.
Source: Antara News