Geographic Texture Makes Indonesia Prone to Floods

Delft, Holland (Antara) - Indonesia is the most flood-prone country in Southeast Asia due to its geographic texture which consists of many lowlands, a civil engineering lecturer said. "Not only Jakarta but also most areas in Indonesia are vulnerable to floods," Nurhamidah of University of Andalas in Padang, West Sumatra, said here on Sunday. In addition to high rainfalls of 3000 mm/year, the other natural factor of floods in the country is peat land which is found in coastal areas, she said. She said peat land is vulnerable to land degradation because it is made up of organic materials. Peat land is mostly found in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua. "Floods are concentrated in delta area or low-laying area located less than 100 meters above sea level," she said. Nurhamidah said the handling of floods should be based on a integrated way which correlates natural causes such as rainfall, land structure and tidal wave with man-made causes such as deforestation, change in land function and garbage. If the integrated approach is made the flood management applied to a certain area will be able to solve the problem, she said. The flood management can be done in a structural and non-structural way. The structural method includes normalizing land function, dredging rivers and developing integrated irrigation system, while the non-structural method includes public participation and law enforcement including fines on those disposing of trash anywhere. (*)