The flash flood in the Wasior district, Papua, was caused by the destruction of forests in the area.
Forum for Environment (WALHI) assess flash flood in the City Wasior, Papua, was caused by the destruction of forests in the area of Bay County Wondama.
Disaster Desk Manager Executive WALHI Irhash Ahmady said estimates that about 30-40 percent of forest in the area of Mount Wondiboi Forest Reserves and National Parks Sea Paradise extreme experience over the function. As a result, Kali and Kali Kiot Angris overflowed and brought disaster to Wasior.
"There's the logging activity here since the 1990s. So there are already about 20 years of logging activities there. The forests that we cut today, its disaster could be the next 5-10 years. That's the law of nature only, using logic alone," he said in WALHI's office, Jakarta, Thursday (10/07/2010).
Walhi noted the government has issued a concession license in 1990 to PT wmt and PT DMP. However, because of refusal to culminate in rioting citizens suspected of human rights violations, logging activity pause.
According to WALHI also notes, logging activities took place in 2002. This time of logging activities to run without public resistance because these companies have been able to pay compensation to people even build a joint venture trading from upstream to downstream.
In the Gulf Wondama, location of illegal and legal logging reached 178 thousand hectares in other locations in the District and Yapen Waropen Sarni.
"This assessment is not without merit, Walhi found hundreds of wooden logs with mud and boulders scattered throughout the Wasior I, Wasior II, Kampung (village) Rado, Mom Kampung, Kampung Maniwak, Manggurai Kampung, Kampung Wondamawi, and Kampung Wondiboi. This adds to the fact that indeed deforestation in the upstream region became the main cause, "said Irhash.
From the data received from a joint team of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), until day 4, the victim died from flash floods in the district Wasior, Wondama Bay, West Papua, carrying 87 people has been reached.
Of the 87 people who died, as many as 68 victims have been identified and the remainder has not been identified.
Director of Emergency Repair BNPB Sarosa said that current efforts to evacuate victims still being conducted by a joint team consisting of military, police, SAR, Tagana and also assisted the community. "For the victims of serious injuries has reached 82 people who were referred to Nabire, and the victim lost as many as 66 people," he said.
Added, which is currently displaced victims reportedly desperate need of assistance in the form of medicines, food and clothing. Because, until day 4 after flash floods hit Wasior, West Papua on Monday (4 / 10), the number of medical personnel is still very minimal.
This was also compounded by the difficulty of refugees get food. Currently, most victims fled to the main post at the airport and home Wargono Wasior Wasior Regent in the City.
Meanwhile Indonesian Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan has assumed that a recent flash flood, which claimed almost 100 lives in Wasior, West Papua, was caused by illegal logging and territorial division, locally known as pemekaran.
“There was a forest area which was then transformed into a city due to territorial division,” Zulkifli said Thursday after attending a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta.
He said that he had found 200,000 meters square of illegal logs during a recent work visit to Sorong, West Papua.
The Wasior flood, which occurred on Tuesday, has claimed at least 92 lives and injured 853 people so far, while 84 others are still missing.