More than 20,000 people affected by floods in Aceh

Thousands of residents have been forced to shelter on higher ground as rivers overflowed with water levels rising by more than three metres. Today more than 400 people were evacuated in Malaysia after their village was submerged.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Recent floods have hit several Indonesian regions, creating problems for over 20,000 people.

In the western province of Aceh, on the island of Sumatra, torrential rains raised water levels by more than three metres. This caused rivers to overflow and forced thousands of residents to seek refuge in higher and sheltered areas.

Pidie, Pidie Jaya, Bireuen, Aceh Utara, Aceh Tamiang, and Aceh Timur are among the most affected districts.

"In North Aceh district, the water level has reached 3.3 metres," said the local office of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BPBA)[*], explaining that the rains flooded homes, but also public facilities, rice paddies and plantations.

Flooding also caused major traffic jams with roads blocked by landslides and access cut off. “At least 20,901 people have been forced to leave their homes seeking refuge due to heavy rains,” the BPBA statement added.

Ache is an autonomous province where Islamic law (Shari‘a) is enforced. In recent years, it has experienced repeated flooding due to climate change. At least 56 floods were recorded in 2021, down from 80 in 2020.

Currently, Indonesia is not alone in struggling with heavy rains. Other South-East Asian countries are also affected; today, in the state of Johor, Malaysia, the authorities evacuated more than 400 people after their village was submerged by water.

[*] Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana.

• indonesia
• south-east asia
• aceh
• johor
• heavy rains
• flooding