By RIA Novosti,
Jakarta : Over 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 on Thursday.
According to the local disaster management service, a total of 3,532 houses have been inundated since December 5.
“At least 15,000 residents have taken shelter in their relatives’ houses or emergency tents,” Xinhua quoted a local disaster management official 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.
Provincial authorities blame climate change and deforestation for the protracted flooding in the area. Aceh loses around 20,000 hectares of forest each year.