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Medan, Indonesia – The new year has begun to rain after more than 30,000 people were displaced by the Indonesian island of Sumatra and two children were killed, according to the country’s Disaster Relief Agency.
Heavy rains have hit parts of the western island including Jambi and Aceh provinces, causing fears that the floods could damage the local economy and cause a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Muhammad Hatta says his village on the outskirts of Lhoksukon province in Aceh province has been flooded since the beginning of the year, and there are few traces of rest.
Hatta, his wife and three children managed to prevent the flooding from entering their home by blocking the kitchen below.
But even though they have decided to stay, they are afraid that the worst is yet to come.
“We are more concerned about what happens after the flood calms down,” Hatta told Al Jazeera.
“All the rice fields in the area are under water. Farmers were about to harvest, but crops usually die after three to four days after being completely submerged. The farmers will lose everything. ”
Aerial footage shot by Hatta and seen by Al Jazeera showed the impassable streets in and around his hometown, and houses immersed in brown milk water.
In addition to the ruined rice crop, Hatta said that the floods also meant that local journalists were unable to work.
“The local economy has been destroyed,” he said.
Parts of nearby Malaysia have also been flooded after heavy rains hit the country, forcing thousands of temporary shelters. More than 50 people have been killed in floods across the country, in the states of Selangor, Johor and Melaka, especially from Sumatra along the Straits of Malacca.
Declared emergency
Hatta says flooding occurs every year in the area and the government should prevent it from happening again by clearing sediments from nearby rivers, digging deeper so that the edges do not explode after heavy rains.
Hamdani, head of public relations for the North Aceh Regional Secretariat, told Al Jazeera that 32,854 people had been displaced in 16 districts of North Aceh after heavy rains brought floods down the river.
“Local residents have been sheltered with relatives, in mosques and prayer halls and in specially built emergency shelters,” he said.
On Sunday, North Aceh Governor Muhammad Thaib imposed an official state of emergency in the kingdom as a result of the floods.
“We’re working on logistics to make sure the relocated have enough food, for example. Some days it’s okay for people to eat noodles right away, but after that we need to keep them healthy and feed them nutritious foods like tempeh, beans, grains and corn, ”Hamdani said.
“We also need blankets for babies and babies, as well as milk.”
Hamdanik admitted that the floods are almost annual events and said that the regional government hoped that the construction of the Keureuto Dam, which will be completed in 2023, would alleviate the problem. The dam will contain six waters of the Krueng Keureuto River and its tributaries.
Meanwhile, the flood comes at a particularly inopportune moment.
“The number of COVID-19s in North Aceh has dropped and fewer patients have come to see me with severe symptoms in recent weeks,” Lhoksukon-based lung specialist Dr. Indra Buana told Al Jazeera.
Children in floods in villages around Lhoksukon. There are concerns about the spread of the disease, including COVID-19 [Supplied/Rina Sarina]Aceh has reported about 38,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began and just over 2,000 deaths, though it has reported almost no new cases or deaths in recent weeks.
But now the doctor fears that the floods will affect many medical conditions at the same time as the Omicron variant appears on the horizon.
“Floods are very dangerous,” he said. “If people breathe it can drown or cause severe inflammation of the lungs.”
“Wet and cold weather at this time of year is also causing an increase in cases such as asthma and upper respiratory tract infections.”
An additional problem also comes from displaced residents fleeing their homes and sharing limited space in shelters that are difficult to socialize or with family members.
Aceh has one of the least vaccinated populations in Indonesia, with a population of more than 1.2 million, more than double the population of more than 5.3 million, according to the Ministry of Health.
“We are concerned that there will be an increase in COVID-19 cases. It can be very dangerous if someone outside the area with COVID-19 visits the shelters and inadvertently infects them all,” Dr. Buana said.
“But at the same time, we can’t stop people from helping us. “
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