Indonesia: Recent floods in Kalimantan raises concerns over environmental damages

An aerial photo of the Hantakan River in Alat village, Hulu Sungai Tengah regency, South Kalimantan on Jan. 20, 2020. The region was hit by massive flooding following days of heavy rainfall. - Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, Nov 21 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Three out of five provinces in Kalimantan have been hit by floods, triggered by deforestation and changing climate, over the past month, adding into the latest list of natural disasters that have struck the region this year.

West Kalimantan was the most severely affected by the recent flooding, with floodwater from the overflowing Kapuas River submerging tens of thousands of houses in seven out of 14 regencies in the province, namely Kapuas Hulu, Sintang, Melawi, Sekadau, Sanggau, Ketapang and Bengkayang.