Agus Maryono and Suherdjoko, Semarang – Heavy rains over the past three days have caused flooding and landslides in several regencies in Central Java that have left at least six people dead.

Floodwaters engulfed several villages in Kroya district, Cilacap regency, destroying 450 hectares of almost-harvested rice crops.

"We suffered this time," Dulyasir, a farmer from Sikampuh village, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. "At the start of the farming, we faced a fertilizer shortage, now our crops are destroyed by floods. Now what do we have to eat?"

The 56-year-old said he was almost certain all the crops were ruined and could not be harvested, having been submerged in floodwaters for almost three days.

Badriyah, from the same village, said rains had poured continuously since Saturday.

"During the last two nights, the rain never stopped," she said. "Suddenly I had water entering my house."

In Surakarta, 500 residents in Joyotakan got ready to flee their homes as the nearby Bengawan Solo River burst its banks and flooded some homes with water as high as 1.5 meters. The swelling of the river was believed to have stemmed from the Bengawan Solo's tributaries, leaving the water level at Gajah Mungkur Dam at safe levels.

"The height of the water at the dam was still below the critical level of 133 meters," said Sumartono, director of the Jasa Tirta water company.

Surakarta city remained on high alert after water engulfed most of the city.

The Jenes and Premulung rivers in the northwest of the city left the Premulung and Bumi areas in almost 2 meters of water. At least 400 people were forced to evacuate.

However, residents of Sewu, located on the riverbank, remained in their homes, saying the river had not overflowed yet. Several areas along the banks of the Bengawan Solo in Sukaharjo regency were inundated in meter-high water.

The four districts of Kartasura, Gatak, Polokarto and Grogol were the worst hit by the flooding.

"Actually, the river has not overflowed yet," said Wisnu, a member of the local search and rescue team. "But we will evacuate residents living near parts of the river that have already overflowed."

Besides flooding, the heavy rains also triggered landslides in several regencies, including Banyumas, Kebumen, Wonosobo and Karanganyar, killing at least six people.

The victims, residents of Ngelogok village, Ngargoyoso district, Karanganyar, were buried alive after a hill behind their homes collapsed on Friday. The victims were Ilham, 2, his mother, Sadinem, 40, Karyotomo, 70, and Tumi, 60, all members of a family. Ilham's brother was being treated in hospital for severe injuries. The other victims were Waginem, 40, and her granddaughter, Fitri, 12.

"Members of the rescue team have now split up to deal with flood victims and landslide victims," Aris Triyono of the Central Java SAR agency told the Post on Sunday.

In Banyumas, landslides destroyed at least 15 homes on Sunday in the villages of Cihonje, Telaga and Paningkaban, in Gumelar district.

Landslides also damaged six homes in Karanganyar district, Kebumen regency. No fatalities were reported in those incidents.

[Blontank Poer contributed to this report from Surakarta.]