FLOODS INUNDATE THOUSANDS OF HECTARES OF LEBAK RICE FIELDS

Lebak, Banten Province, Nov. 20 (ANTARA) - Floods occurring over the past few days have inundated thousands of hectares of rice fields in Lebak District, Banten Province.
"I have been forced to postpone my paddy harvest due to the floods," Edi Junaedi, a farmer in Bejod village, said here on Thursday.
He said flood waters reaching a height of up to one meter, had submerged thousands of hectares of rice fields in his village over the past three days as two rivers, the Cibinuangeun and the Cidadap, had overflowed.
Most of the paddy plants flooded were only four days to two weeks old.
"I hope that the Lebak district administration will soon help the local farmers," he said.
In Wanasalam sub district, inundated rice fields are located in Cipedang village (350 hectares), Cisarap village (300 hectares), Bejod (250 hectares), Wanasalam (100 hectares) and Sukatani (50 hectares).
In Cigemblong sub distrcit, a total of 150 hectares of rice fields have been affected.
Meanwhile, in Aceh (northern Sumatra), floods again hit Trumon Timur sub district, South Aceh District, destroying one bridge after Geulumbang River overflowed.
"Cot Bayu village is up to now still isolated because a bridge collapsed," Trumon Timur Sub District Head Lahmuddin said in Tapaktuan, Aceh, on Thursday.
The flooding forced a total of 1,125 people to flee to higher ground in Cot Bayu village.
Hundreds of hectares of plantations were also submerged under the floodwaters.