By RIA Novosti,
Jakarta : More than 15,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the province of Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, regional media reported Thursday.
According to the local disaster management service, well over 3,000 houses have been under water since Dec 5.
“At least 15,000 residents have taken shelter in emergency tents,” a local disaster management official was quoted by media as saying.
Heavy rain has also caused a number of landslides in the disaster-hit area, though no casualties have been reported.
The Indonesian government is sending humanitarian and medical aid to the affected region.
Authorities blame man-made climate change and deforestation for the protracted flooding in the area. Aceh loses around 20,000 hectares of forest each year.