Strong Alarm from Batu

The flash flood in Batu is an alarm for everyone. We may at times have to prioritize ecological preservation for the sake of safety.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

TNI personnel and volunteers clean up debris from a flash flood in Sambong Hamlet, Bulukerto Village, Bumiaji District, Batu City, East Java, Friday (5/11/2021).

Flash floods that hit eight villages in Bumiaji district, Batu, East Java, on Thursday (4/11/2021), have shown that the slopes of Mount Arjuno potentially pose a lethal threat to the upstream area of the Brantas River.

The flash floods killed seven people, affected 89 families and damaged 35 houses, seven cars, 73 motorbikes and 10 cattle pens, with 107 heads of cattle affected. As many as 33 houses were submerged in mud. The magnitude of the disaster has shocked the public and the authorities alike.