SOUTH SUMATRA: The South Sumatra Provincial Natural Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) has declared alert status for floods and landslides in six districts.
The alert status is based on the mapping of districts prone to natural disasters during the rainy season, Chief of the BPBD Iriansyah said.
The six districts include Musi Banyuasin, Musi Rawas Utara, Muara Enim, Lahat, and Penukal Abab.
“The alert status will be valid until the rainy season ends,” he said.
In declaring the alert status, the BPBD also referred to the results of observation by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), he said.
Chief of Data and Information Section of the BMKG Office in South Sumatra Nandang Pangaribowo predicted the rainy season in South Sumatra to last until March or mid-April.
“Now is the peak of the rainy season (January, February, March). All areas in South Sumatra are expected to experience significant weather events in a week,” he said.
Landslide-prone areas in the western part of South Sumatra province including Muara Enim, Pali, OKU Selatan, Pagaralam, and Musi Rawas Utara must stay alert for the events, he said.
