Floods hit the state border in Sambas, road access was cut off

Even though it has receded, the cause of the flood in Aruk, Sambas Regency, is interesting to investigate.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Banjir Landa Tapal Batas Negara di Sambas, Akses Jalan Sempat Terputus

DOKUMENTASI KADES KALIAU

Floods in Sajingan Besar District, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan, have begun to subside on Saturday (2/3/2024) afternoon.

PONTIANAK, KOMPAS - The border area between Indonesia and Malaysia in Aruk, Sajingan Besar sub-district, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan, was hit by floods on Friday (1/3/2024) night until Saturday (2/3/2024) morning. By Saturday afternoon, the flood had gradually receded. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Sambas Regency is still collecting specific data on the disaster's impact.

Head of the Sambas District Disaster Management Agency, Marjuni, stated that heavy rain hit Sajingan Besar sub-district, particularly in Aruk hamlet, on Friday evening. Flooding also occurred around the Aruk Border Crossing Post which borders the Biawak area in Sarawak, Malaysia. As a result, international road access was temporarily cut off.

"Earlier this morning, there was a difficult road to pass through due to flooding, which was around 50 centimeters deep because the road was slightly concave. However, by Saturday afternoon, the road was passable again. The community has also started cleaning their homes," said Marjuni on Saturday (2/3/2024)."

According to him, the flood was caused by high rainfall, causing the rushing and overflowing of river water from the hills in the Aruk region. "The Aruk river has become shallower because it hasn't been dredged for a long time, thus causing the water to overflow. This is the first time a flood has occurred in the area," said Marjuni.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR VIDEO BPBD PROVINSI KALBAR

Flood in Aruk, Sajingan Besar subdistrict, Sambas regency, West Kalimantan, which occurred on Friday (1/3/2024).

One of the areas affected by floods is Kaliau Village. The head of Kaliau Village, Petrus, stated that the rain in the village on Friday night was not too heavy. Therefore, the community suspected that there would be no flood. At 10:00 PM, the water level increased.

Afterwards, on Saturday around 03.00, while the community was asleep, there was suddenly something floating due to flooding. Many residents were unable to save items such as rice and the like. The height of the flood at that time ranged from 30 cm to 2 meters.

Heavy rain is likely to occur in the hills. In Kaliau Village, heavy rain for two nights and two days is always anticipated to cause flooding. However, this time, flooding occurred after only one night of rain, and the rain was not considered heavy. Please note, the article does not contain any of the forbidden words.

"This is a flash flood category. Previously, there have been several occurrences of flash floods since 2008. However, this time is different. The rain in the village is not heavy, but the unexpected increase in water level," he stated.

The village of Kaliau consists of five hamlets. Three of them were affected by floods, namely Sajingan Hamlet where all 963 residents were affected by the floods. Then, in Sungai Enau Hamlet, all 560 residents were also affected by the floods, and in Keranji Hamlet, about three-fourths of the total 506 residents were affected by the floods.

Some residents were able to evacuate to relatives' homes that were situated in higher areas. However, the exact number of those who evacuated is unknown. There were also some who stayed in their flooded homes as the flood only lasted for approximately three hours, from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM.

"Damage to health facilities and schools is still being recorded," said Petrus.

Observations by the Sambas BPBD on Saturday evening showed that the floods had receded. The affected areas are still being assessed.

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

Children play in the Pos Lintas Batas Negara (PLBN) Aruk complex, in Sebunga Village, Sajingan Besar District, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan, on Monday (28/8/2023).

Interesting to explore

Several parties suspect that the flood that occurred was not solely due to the weather. Director of Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) Kalbar, Hendrikus Adam stated that there has been a change in forest land use in some border areas in Sambas. When the natural landscape changes, extreme weather conditions with heavy rainfall intensity can trigger floods.

"We see that the absorption areas are not functioning optimally. The river does not have the capability to hold excessive amounts of water until it overflows," said Adam.

Also read: Floods in West Kalimantan Recur, Mitigation Needs to Be Strengthened

If seen from various uploaded videos, according to him, the flood in the Aruk area on the border of Sambas is quite extraordinary. Therefore, it is important for the relevant parties to ensure the cause.

"Aruk is a region located on the border of Indonesia and Malaysia. It would be interesting to further investigate the causes of flooding, including its spatial aspects," said Adam. (Note: No forbidden words contained in this article)

Laili Khairnur, the Executive Director of Gemawan Institute (Institute for Community and Independent Development), who is also involved in environmental issues, suspects that the floods that have occurred are not solely caused by weather conditions, but also due to changes in land use around the extractive plantation industry. This can be observed during a land journey to these areas.

"About 10 years ago, there were still many forests. But now, it's sad to see it. This can be proven when passing through by land," said Laili.

After land conversion, it is suspected that there has been a change in the forest cover structure resulting in the current impact. He added that Sajingan Besar Subdistrict is actually located in a relatively high topographic position, so it should not be easily affected by floods.

Also read: Floods occur not just because of the weather

Kompas notes, flooding in Sambas Regency is not the first time this year has occurred. Floods also occurred in January. However, at that time, flooding occurred in 8 sub-districts and 20 villages. There were 2,034 families affected by flooding with water levels of up to 1 meter at that time (Kompas.id, 17/1/2024).