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INDONESIA-ENVIRONMENT-FLOOD
Indonesian teen wakeboards waterlogged streets to protest floods
JAKARTA, June 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A group of teenagers in Indonesia are
wakeboarding the submerged streets of their hometown to protest against the
urban flooding that regularly plagues much of the tropical archipelago.
After several days of heavy rains in Samarinda city, on Borneo island, the
fed-up group launched their waterlogged demonstration in a now-viral
Instagram video.
Curious onlookers gaped as Muhammad Fahri Ramadhan, 19, showed off a few
tricks as he carved-up the dirty, waist-high water — pulled by a car instead
of a boat.
In the background, a narrator complained about the annual flooding in the
city of more than 800,000.
The teens hope their unconventional protest will have an impact on the
local government, which has already declared the flooding — affecting tens
of thousands of residents — a city emergency.
The group appealed to citizens to keep the streets clean so rubbish doesn’t
clog sewers and drains — a common problem that exacerbates flooding in
Indonesian cities after heavy rains.
“We want people to be more aware and to please not litter,” Ramadhan told
AFP Tuesday.
“People on the street who watched me wakeboarding, and others who commented
on social media, mostly said nice things — they thanked us for protesting
this way,” he added.
Earlier this year, a group of youngsters in Sumatra released online images
of themselves posing like models in the muddy water that flooded their
community’s streets.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1811 hrs