The heavy rainfall that struck Western Gorontalo City on Wednesday, Jul. 10, 2024, caused flooding up to 1.5 meters deep in residential areas. Seven districts were submerged, including Dembe I, Pilolodaa, Lekobalo, Buliide, Tenilo, Molosipat W, and Bulado.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that 4,686 homes were flooded.
The disaster led to temporary power and water outages, forcing most residents to evacuate to higher ground in the hills.
The flood affected the UGM KKN-PPM Kerabat Kota Barat Team, stationed in Lekobalo and Pilolodaa, Western Gorontalo City.
Evacuation efforts, revitalization, and aid distribution have been ongoing.
Even though the floodwaters have receded in some areas, the KKN-PPM Team continues to assist flood victims in several evacuation centers, especially in the Lekobalo area.
BNPB has established at least 59 evacuation points for 7,486 residents.
“Due to the flooding, residents became isolated with no access, so we helped distribute BNPB aid such as food,” explained Rifal, head of UGM Kerabat Kota Barat KKN Team, in a statement to reporters on Thursday, Jul. 25, 2024.
During the flood, SAR teams worked to clear landslide debris so water could flow. The flood began to subside on Friday, Jul. 12, 2024, as rainfall intensity decreased.
Some access routes also reopened in areas farther from the river. However, parts of the area along the river were still submerged up to thigh-deep.
According to the local district head, Western Gorontalo City is a flood-prone area, but this flood was the second-worst after 2019.
This is evident as some areas that should not have been affected by the flood were submerged.
“The difficulty was that residents had no access to electricity and water for three days, making it hard to drink, bathe, and carry out other activities,” added Rifal.
PDAM water trucks from the government were brought in several times for the residents, but they were not enough to meet the daily needs of thousands, considering that water is a crucial primary necessity.
As a result of the flooding, the Mayor of Gorontalo declared a state of emergency for flood and landslide disasters.
BNPB stated that the flood disaster is difficult to control due to Gorontalo’s basin-shaped geography.
Due to continuous rain, water from the river and Lake Limboto, in particular, easily rises to the surface in residential areas.
Given the situation, the UGM KKN Kota Barat Team is working to assist in disaster relief and prevention in collaboration with the mayor, Bappeda, and BNPB.
“Yesterday, we discussed setting up a communal kitchen for residents who are still displaced. The mayor also visited to assess the situation here. Some of our KKN-PPM work programs will be redirected to help those affected by the disaster,” Rifal explained.
UGM KKN-PPM Kota Barat Team, composed of various study clusters, will be divided to redirect their work programs toward disaster relief efforts.
These programs include fundraising and aid collection, mapping disaster-prone areas and flood depths, setting up communal kitchens, and disaster education for children.
The redirection of these work programs aims to help flood-affected communities and enhance students’ awareness of societal conditions.
This approach reflects the commitment of the UGM KKN-PPM Kota Barat Team, as one of the KKN-PPM units across Indonesia, to improve community welfare and empowerment.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang