The cash aid and 200 humanitarian assistance packages, comprising a blanket, stationery items, five kilograms (kg) of rice, a liter of cooking oil, and a kg of sugar, were delivered by the forum's advisory council member, Sutarto Hadi, during his visit to the sub-district.
The cash aid and relief aid packages, collected from a recent fundraising program, initiated by the FRI vice head, HM Nasrullah Yusuf, was symbolically received by Secretary of Tanah Laut District Administration, Dahnial Kifli.
Along with several students of the University of Lambung Mangkurat (ULM), including those from the Student Executive Board (BEM), Hadi, who is concurrently the ULM rector, visited Kurau Sub-district to hand out the humanitarian aid packages.
The ULM's disaster response team members had earlier visited the districts of Banjar, Barito Kuala, and Hulu Sungai Tengah to distribute relief aid packages to those severely affected by the recent flash floods, he remarked.
On behalf of the South Kalimantan communities, Hadi expressed gratitude to the donators that had participated in the FRI and ULM fundraising and charity programs for flood victims.
Several parts of South Kalimantan were recently swamped by massive flooding on January 12-13, 2021, following heavy rainfall lashing the province's areas.
The floods affected the districts of Banjar, Tapin, Tabalong, Balangan, and Hulu Sungai Tengah as well as the cities of Tanah Laut and Banjar Baru.
The floods had hit Banjar District the hardest, submerging 14,791 homes and compelling 51,362 people to take refuge.
The floods reportedly inundated 112 homes in Tapin District and compelled 1,777 people to move to higher ground.
The massive floods also triggered landslides in Tanah Laut District. Consequently, five people died, according to Tanah Laut District Head Sukamta.
Various parts of Indonesia are prone to natural disasters. Within the initial two months of 2021, several hydrological disasters have occurred in the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi. In Java Island, for instance, flash floods had inundated certain areas of Semarang in Central Java following torrential rains lashing the city last week.
Landslides also hit Cihanjuang Village in Cimanggung Sub-district, Sumedang District, West Java Province, on January 9.
Meanwhile, in Sumatra Island, flash floods and a landslide damaged seven homes and broke a bridge in Wih Ni Durin Village, Syiah Utama Sub-district, Bener Meriah District, Aceh Province, following incessant heavy rains in the Gayo highland area.
In North Sulawesi, flooding and landslides also hit several areas in Manado, the province's capital city, on January 22.
Related news: Extreme weather forecast in Indonesian regions on Feb 10-16: BMKG
Related news: Indonesia hit by 372 disasters since early 2021: BNPB
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
