Kalimantan Flood Victims Suffer Diseases

Any natural disaster that occurs and especially one where floods are concerned gives rise to the dramatic increase in the spread of diseases. Flood victims in South Kalimantan and mostly children have started to suffer from skin rashes and diarrhoea forcing some of them to skip school.

Schoolchildren had their classes suspended after floods hit the area in the past week and were reportedly suffering from diarrhoea and skin rashes. The floods did not completely disrupt classes in flood hit areas although some schools were inundated by floodwater according to Antara News.

According to head of the province education office, Humaidi Syukeri, the flooding occurred after schoolchildren had completed the national examination and other tests. But he said his office would examine the impact of the floods on schools in the affected areas. Flooding had subsided Friday in many parts of the province allowing some residents to return home to clean up but in other parts like in Martapura the water was still one-meter high.

Local residents still needed food and medical assistance as well as clean water.

Meanwhile floods have started to subside in Gorontalo city and Bone Bolango regency in Gorontalo province with residents starting to return home to clean up the mud in their houses left by the floods. Floods which hit Bolaang Mongondow regency in North Sulawesi had left two dams badly damaged after being hit by massive logs rushing down from nearby forests.