Wamena, Jubi – Due to heavy rains in Wamena City since the beginning of September 2023, the Baliem River has overflowed, resulting in the flooding of multiple houses, numerous yam and vegetable gardens, as well as several fish ponds and rice fields belonging to residents in five villages within Maima District, Jayawijaya Regency. This catastrophe has compelled people to evacuate their homes, and their agricultural endeavors have suffered.
A resident of Maima District, Onoy Lokobal, attributed the flooding to the persistent heavy rainfall and the subsequent overflow of the Baliem River into residential areas. Approximately eight houses and several others along the banks of the Baliem River were inundated.
Lokobal specified that among the seven villages in Maima District, five were affected by the flood, namely Huseba, Minimo, Menagaima, Kepi, and Maima.
Over the past few weeks, the community has been surviving with their food supplies. However, they are growing increasingly concerned as their food stocks run out in the coming weeks.
"Vegetables such as chili peppers, onions, and basil have all rotted. Only the sweet potato plants remain resilient, and the women have started harvesting them prematurely as they cannot endure for long," Lokobal noted.
Furthermore, Lokobal mentioned that the flood swept away the fish in Huseba and Menagaima villages, and the rice crops, which were ready for harvest, were also damaged.
"This has left us in a precarious situation, particularly during this rainy season. We are uncertain when the rain will cease. In the past, our elders predicted the seasons naturally, using specific indicators based on the direction of sunrise. However, now we rely more on the predictions from the Jayawijaya Climate Agency (BMKG)," he explained.
In this trying situation, Lokobal hopes for a strong response and attention from the Provincial Government of Mountanious Papua, as well as the Jayawijaya Regency Administration.
"After this flood, the community will face food shortages. Hence, it is crucial for the government to provide special assistance," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, a local garden owner, Itha Mulait, revealed that her sweet potato plants had not yet reached maturity but had to be harvested prematurely.
"If we delay the harvest, they will rot. The vegetable crops have already rotted, and there is nothing left to harvest," she lamented.
"We experience flooding from the overflowing Baliem River nearly every year, sometimes even twice in a year. We have become accustomed to crop failures, both with sweet potatoes and vegetables," she went on.
Mulait explained that despite being aware of the yearly flooding risks, the community continues to cultivate along the Baliem River banks because of the exceptionally fertile soil and the satisfying yields.
"Like it or not, we choose to remain here. If a flood occurs at any time, it's a risk we accept," she concluded. (*)