Indra Harsaputra and Suherdjoko, Bojonegoro/Semarang – More than 100 people have died due to ongoing floods across Central and East Java, a health ministry official said Wednesday.
Rustam Pakaya told Agence France Presse on Wednesday that 112 people had died in the last week.
Reports said 17 of 35 regencies and municipalities of Central Java alone were under water on Wednesday, destroying almost 30,000 hectares of paddy fields, including those ready for harvest.
Landslides and the overflowing of Java's longest river, the Bengawan Solo, which crosses the two provinces, continue to pose threats for local residents.
Tens of thousands evacuated their homes as floods reached the East Java town of Gresik, one of the last towns passed by the 600-kilometer Bengawan Solo.
The river starts in the hills above the Central Java town of Wonogiri and since last week it has flooded neighboring towns including Surakarta and Bojoneoro in East Java, with the latter being the hardest hit to-date.
A few elderly residents in Bojonegoro said this was the worst flooding since 1966. The area along the river has become increasingly populated.
Patients in Bojonegoro's hospital have been moved to higher floors in the hospital, Antara reported, and hospitals elsewhere in East Java were taking in patients beyond their capacity.
Sungkono, who operates a boat in Bojonegoro, said Wednesday he and his family, including three children, were still living in his boat. "We're sleeping, cooking and eating here because our home is still under water," his wife Supingah said.
Supingah said they were sharing their food supplies with other displaced residents and that their children, Rise, 13, and Sasa, 10, were doing their school work from the boat because school was temporarily closed.
Despite massive losses, residents have been actively helping each other cope with the flood crisis.
A number of displaced residents in Kudus, Central Java, were found living with goats around the local dike, Antara reported.
Undaan district is one destination that has seen a number of displaced residents gather, given its higher ground from the nearby river.
One resident called Supono, who was taking shelter near the dike, said he was also caring for his mother and his 16 goats.
He said he had prepared a separate shelter next to his goats, complete with all their belongings including cooking utensils and a television set. "Here I can look after my old mother and my goats all at once," he said.
Motorbikes were seen parked along the two-kilometer dike, indicating their owners had also taken shelter there.
Continuing rain in Kudas has also led to fears of a landslide, after one home and its surrounding crops were damaged late Tuesday. One village chief Mugianto said dozens of homes were located at the foot of a hill.
In Semarang, head of the provincial office of agriculture, Aris Budiono, said more than 29,000 hectares of paddy fields were destroyed – a figure he said was expected to increase.
Farmland around the Bengawan Solo makes up some of Java's largest rice centers.
But Aris said reserve stocks of more than eight million tons of rice would be enough for Central Java's population of 33 million. "We need people to report damage as soon as possible so officials can distribute aid to farming families," he said.