President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) pointed to the massive flooding that hit 10 districts and cities in South Kalimantan Province as being the first to have occurred in the past 50 years.
The president, among others, visited the Pekauman Bridge along with Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo, South Kalimantan Governor Sahbirin Noor, and Banjar District Head Khalilurrahman.
The rainfall has been very high for almost 10 consecutive days, so the Barito River, which normally holds 230 million cubic meters, is currently receiving 2.1 billion cubic meters of water, thereby resulting in it overflowing its banks and inundating the 10 districts and cities.
During the visit, Jokowi also handed over several basic necessities, ready-to-eat food, and masks to numerous residents in the affected locations.
The 10 flood-affected districts and cities are Tapin, Banjar, Banjar Baru, Tanah Laut City, Banjarmasin City, Hulu Sungai Tengah, Balangan, Tabalong, Hulu Sungai Selatan, and Batola.
The massive floods, triggered by incessant heavy rains since Jan 12, claimed 15 lives, swamped 24,379 houses, and displaced 39,549 people.
