Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Lambung Mangkurat University's (ULM's) environment expert Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Udiansyah MS said that people in South Kalimantan must begin to adapt to the flood situation owing to the changing of environmental condition that currently triggered the severe flood.
"If the house position is low, the fact is the water does not go down, it must be elevated. You better make it house on stilt concept," he said here, Wednesday.
According to Udiansyah, the inundation that is still stagnant at several points of the flood is due to the altitude of the plain is just the same or even lower than river level.
As a result, it is impossible for the stagnant water to flow into the river. The solution is it must be pumped or wait for the water to enter the ground, but it takes a long time.
The professor of the ULM's Faculty of Forestry said that the major floods that occurred in the history of South Kalimantan were triggered by a reduction in river volume due to sedimentation in the riverbed. Once the extreme rains hit, the river was unable to hold the water to its capacity.
"There are many factors that cause sedimentation, including environmental damage, such as forest, which resulted in greater surface runoff. The rainwater that entered the ground was reduced, but it flowed down to lower areas bringing materials on it, including piles of garbage to the river," he pointed out.
For this reason, Udiansyah invited the people to protect nature and the environment, hopefully, this year's major flood not happen again. Even if there are extreme rains, the repercussions would not be as devastating as it is now when we have a better environment.
"From the government's side, the river normalization program and dredging of Barito River must continue to be carried out. For the City of Banjarmasin, the folder system or floodgates must be added. When high tide it closed and is open in low tide," said the man who served as Chairman of Higher Education Service Institution (LLDIKTI) Region XI.
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