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Indonesia

Indonesia: West Kalimantan Floods - Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA), DREF Operation n° MDRID022

Attachments

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

Prolonged and heavy rainfall along with strong winds from October to early November has caused Kapuas River to overflow, flooding several districts namely Sintang, Sanggau, Melawi, Kapuas Hulu, Ketapang and Sekadau in West Kalimantan province. Following an initial flooding event at the end of October, which receded quite quickly, heavy rain continuing in early November, saw a rapid escalation of the situation on 6 November 2021, causing extensive flooding across several districts. As six districts remain submerged in water the situation is overwhelming emergency responders in the area. This event comes at the beginning of a prolonged La Nina that Indonesia’s meteorological agency has indicated will significantly increase the risk of widespread flooding over the next few months in different parts of the country.

Flooding in Sintang

Flooding in Sintang district has submerged 12 sub-districts including Serawai, Kayan Hulu, Kayan Hilir, Binaji Hulu, Sintang, Sepauk, Tempuna, Ketungau Hilir, Dedai, Ambalau, Sei Tebelian and Kelam Permai. The flood level ranges from 1-3 meters in the area. Based on the report released by Indonesia’s National Agency of Disaster Management (BNPB, Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana), at least 24,522 households or 87,496 people are affected by the floods. In addition, 21,000 houses are inundated, and five bridges are damaged in Sintang district. As of 9 November 2021, PMI Sintang identified four evacuation centers occupied by around 70 households or approximately 280 people.

Flooding in Sekadau

In Sintang, on 24 October 2021, flooding occurred but quickly receded. However, as the heavy rain continued, by 6 November 2021, the situation in the district deteriorated quickly. The floods in Sekadau district have submerged eight villages located in two sub-districts, inundating approximately 3,026 houses. It was reported at least 5,234 households or 18,678 people were affected by the floods, while 836 households or 2,956 people were displaced and one fatality reported. As of Tuesday, 9 November 2021, PMI identified three evacuation centers in the area.

Flooding in Sanggau

Flooding in Sanggau district has submerged six sub-districts namely Kapuas, Mukok, Jangkang, Melia, Tayan Hilir and Toba, with water level up to a meter. Based on the initial PMI assessment report, there are eight evacuation centers occupied by 162 households or 567 people. In total, the flood inundates 8,317 houses where 26,247 people preferred staying in their houses during the flooding. The floods also disrupted daily activities in the area and affecting around 49,739 households or 150,266 people in Sanggau district.

Flooding in Melawi

Flooding in Melawi district has submerged 11 sub-districts including Belimbing Hulu, Belimbing, Nanga Pinoh, Pinoh Utara, Ella Hilir, Sayan, Sokan, Menukung, Pinoh Selatan, Tanah Pinoh and Tanah Pinoh Barat, where water level reached a meter to a meter and a half in the area. Based on the PMI assessment report, 11 evacuation centers identified, occupied by 164 households or 656 people. The flood also inundates and affecting 17,450 households or 69,987 people household across the 11 sub-districts as well as several public facilities such as seven units of schools, 10 units of mosques, and two health facilities. The affected people who stayed at their homes could not access public areas and PMI also has limited access to reach them due to the high inundation.

Flooding in Ketapang

Flooding in Ketapang district has submerged 13 villages in three sub-districts namely Nanga Tayap, Muara Pawan and Sandai. Around 991 households or 2,889 people are affected by the flood with water level around 20-50 centimeters. PMI continued conducting the assessment, to determine and identify displaced households in the area. The high inundation has been hampering the assess ment process, so it requires a longer time to collect more data.

COVID-19 Situation in Indonesia and the affected areas

Referring to WHO Indonesia COVID-19 situation report on 3 November 2021, weekly COVID-19 case incidence in all regions in Indonesia has remained at a low level of community transmission (CT1) for the past seven to eight weeks since October 2021. All provinces were at a low level of community transmission (CT1) during the week from mid to end of October 2021. Based on the WHO interim guidance, this means that there was a low risk of COVID-19 infection for the general population and a low incidence of locally acquired, widely dispersed cases detected in the past 14 days.

Immediate needs and challenges

The floods are still inundating most of the areas in the affected districts. As of 9 November 2021, PMI identified 22 evacuation centers across the area, occupied by approximately 4,179 people. Various organizations and local humanitarian organizations have been responding to the floods, providing assistance to the evacuation centers including food items and basic needs. However, the majority of the affected community continued staying in their houses and preferred seeking shelter from their relatives, as necessary. With most response agencies focusing on assisting the evacuation centers, most of the people staying in their houses have limited access to humanitarian assistance. Many of the houses are double story buildings, so the affected people/households are staying in the upper level of their houses during the flooding. However, since heavy rain continues in the area, there remains a possibility that the water level will continue to rise. If flood waters continue to rise, those who are currently staying in their houses will have to evacuate their houses and seek shelter at evacuation centers or stay with their relatives.