Thousands of People Isolated by Landslide in Kupang

Persistent downpours have caused a landslide, isolating thousands of people in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Flooding has also inundated parts of Central Kalimantan and mines operated by Freeport in Papua.

FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

Two transport car drivers waited for passengers across from the Kiupakas landslide site, Oemasi Village, Nekamese District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday (12/2/2023). This section of the road is no longer passable by four-wheeled vehicles.

OELAMASI, KOMPAS – Heavy rainfall for almost two weeks has caused a landslide in Kiupakas of Oemasi village in Nekamese district, Kupang regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Around 5,000 people in six adjacent villages connected by the affected access road are now isolated.

The area of the landslide is around 15 kilometers from the city of Kupang, or 47 kilometers from Oelamasi, the capital of Kupang regency. Four-wheeled vehicles can no longer pass this area. Motorcycle riders that need to pass it must be cautious, because the section of road running near the edge of a ravine is slippery.

In fact, it is the only road by which residents from six villages can reach Oelamasi or Kupang city. The six affected villages are Oenif, Usapisonbai, Taloitan, Bone, Tasikoba and Oepaha, with a combined population of around 5,000 people.

As Kompas observed on Sunday (12/2/2023), most of the 4-meter-wide road had been washed away, leaving only a path the width of a foot left for motorcycles to pass. This path is very slippery.

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Rince Baitanu, 38, a resident of Oemasi village, said multiple landslides over the last seven years had eroded the road. Situated on a hilltop, the road had been gradually worn away every time heavy rain fell. The curbstones along the roadside had collapsed, followed by the road’s surface.

Limited access by road has constrained public services. Before Kompas arrived, several local people were carrying an old man across the road to a hospital in Kupang city.

Now there are no passengers. Before the route was cut off, we could make three return trips in one day.

The restricted road access has also paralyzed the local economy. Over the last two weeks, farmers have no longer been able to sell their crops in the city, as no four-wheeled vehicles can transport their produce, while traveling by ojek (motorcycle taxi) would double their transportation costs.

A return trip by ojek along the route from Oepaha village to Kupang city, for instance, costs Rp 150,000. The trip takes two hours because the road is heavily damaged.

“Now there are no passengers. Before the route was cut off, we could make three return trips in one day,” said Marsel Boki, 32, an ojek driver.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Residents of Jalan Anoi IA, Palangka Village, Palangkaraya City, Central Kalimantan use jukung (wooden canoe) to go to work on Friday (10/2/2023). Floods have hit the area for three days.

Emergency alert

Flooding in Central Kalimantan has prompted the Palangkaraya municipal administration to declare an emergency alert. Thirteen subdistricts in the city’s five districts are inundated by floods, with 516 residents affected.

The flooding in Palangkaraya city has lasted almost a week. According to Kompas’ observations, the floodwaters have not yet receded in several locations, including the subdistricts of Palangka and Pahandut Seberang. In several other areas, the water is even rising.

Chief manager Emi Abriyani of Palangkaraya municipality’s Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) explained that the administration had determined an emergency alert because the floods had not yet subsided and had inundated 13 out of a total of 30 subdistricts in five districts.

According to data from the Palangkaraya BPBD, 154 families, or 516 people, have been affected impacted by the flooding in the 13 subdistricts. To date, 140 houses have been flooded with waters reaching between 20 centimeters and 1 meter high.

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Flooding had also hit the gold and copper mines of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) in Tembagapura district, Mimika regency, Central Papua, on Saturday (11/2). No lives were lost in the disaster.

Katri Krisnati, vice president of corporate communications at PT Freeport Indonesia, said in a statement on Sunday (12/2) that PTFI’s underground mine rescue team had evacuated 14 workers stranded in the OB1 and Amole stockpile buildings.

As a result of the flooding, part of the site where the ore concentration processing plant is located has been inundated by muddy water and several sections of road at the mines have been damaged.

Katri added that mining and processing had been suspended for the time being to allow for restoration work. PTFI’s Emergency Preparedness and Response team had been activated to take action where necessary.

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.