80 Korban Tewas akibat Banjir Bandang dan Tanah Longsor di Jayapura
Death Toll in Floods in Indonesia`s Papua Rises to nearly 80
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
BADAN Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana [BNPB] menyatakan korban tewas akibat banjir bandang dan longsor di Papua menjadi hampir 80 orang pada Senin, Presiden RI Joko Widodo menyerukan evakuasi segera para korban dari kawasan bencana.
Banjir dan tanah longsor yang mematikan melanda Jayapura pada akhir pekan setelah hujan lebat jatuh di pegunungan Cyclops, kawasan hutan hijau tropis yang sebagian besar gundul akibat penebangan liar [illegal logging] dan membuka hutan untuk areal pertanian.
Korban tewas melonjak hingga hampir 80 dari 58 pada Minggu ketika tim penyelamat menemukan lebih banyak korban ketika mereka berjuang untuk membersihkan lumpur, batu dan menghancurkan pohon dari daerah dekat ibukota provinsi Jayapura, termasuk jalan sepanjang 70 km.
Dengan 43 orang hilang, Presiden Jokowi mendesak tim penyelamat untuk meningkatkan upaya mereka.
"Yang paling penting adalah menangani evakuasi," katanya dalam sebuah pernyataan yang diposting di Instagram.
Lebih dari 4.000 orang telah mengungsi dan berlindung di tenda, sekolah, dan bangunan umum.
Otoritas bencana telah memperingatkan para pejabat provinsi tentang bahaya banjir bandang akibat penggundulan hutan, kata Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, juru bicara BNPB.
Pemerintah pusat mengirim pasokan bibit tahun lalu, berharap dapat membantu memulihkan kawasan hutan melalui reboisasi seperti dikutip Reuters yang dilansir MailOnline.
AUTHORITIES in Indonesia raised the death toll from floods and landslides in the easternmost province of Papua to nearly 80 on Monday as President Joko Widodo called for the urgent evacuation of victims from devastated communities.
The deadly floods and landslide struck at the weekend after torrential rain fell across the Cyclops mountain range, much of which has been stripped of tree cover by villagers chopping fire wood and farmers cultivating plantations.
The death toll shot up to nearly 80 from 58 on Sunday as rescuers found more victims as they struggled to clear mud, rocks and shattered trees from the area near the provincial capital of Jayapura, including a 70 km stretch of road.
With 43 people missing, Widodo urged rescuers to step up their efforts.
"What is most important is handling the evacuation," he said in a statement posted on Instagram.
More than 4,000 people have been displaced and are sheltering in tents, schools, and public buildings.
Disaster authorities have warned provincial officials of the danger of flash floods due to deforestation, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster mitigation agency.
The central government sent supplies of seedlings last year, hoping to help restore some forest cover, he said.
