The Facts of Floods in Kudus and the Risk Mitigation Program

The highland area is frequently hit by heavy rainfall, like Kudus Regency. The extreme weather started to occur in early January. On January 9^th, 2026, heavy rains began to occur for several days. It caused rivers were overflow and floods in Kudus. Mitigation risk programs are continued by a local government that coordinates with related parties.

The Facts of Floods in Kudus

Kudus is a regency in Central Java located in the Muria Mountains. Extreme weather caused flooding with complex impacts. The Kudus Regency Government declared a disaster emergency for several days, from January 12^th – 19^th, 2026. Here are various facts about the flood disaster that hit Kudus.

1. Submerged Seven Sub-Districts

The affected areas include seven sub-districts with 35 villages. Thousands of homes have been submerged and damaged by floods. The flood water level ranges from 30-120 cm. Totally, 48,190 people have been affected.

2. Damage to Public Facilities and Infrastructure

The public facilities were damaged and stopped all activities. Many infrastructure hit by floodwaters, including roads and bridges. Traffic on the route of Kudus-Pati was hampered by 20-50 cm of water. The journey was longer. Several bridges that were submerged, including the Bukduwur Tenggeles Bridge, Hadipolo Bridge, and Ngembalrejo Bridge.

3. Caused by Heavy Rain

Extreme weather caused flooding in Kudus Regency. Heavy rainfall caused several rivers to overflow, including the Gelis, Piji, Dewe, and Mrisen rivers. The rivers were unable to accommodate the high volume of water, including discharge from the upstream areas of Mount Muria.

4. Exacerbated by the Lack of Water Catchment Areas

The lack of water catchment areas contributes to severe flooding. Large-scale development has resulted in a significant reduction in green open space. The other factor is deforestation in the upstream areas. It significantly reduces the number of trees that absorb water. The impact is soil becomes saturated with water and causing landslides.

5. Accompanied by Landslides

Not only floods, Kudus also hit by landslides. Heavy rains were caused landslides in some areas. The extreme rains weakened soil structures. With these changes in its structure, the soil is more prone to landslides. Three sub-districts became affected areas, such as two in Bae District, 38 in Gebog District, and 92 in Dawe District.

6. Caused Fatalities

Landslides also claimed victims. Two people died from drowning and being swept away by very strong flood currents. Both were residents of the Bae District. Another victim was buried by a landslide in Menawan Village, Gebog District.

Mitigation Risk Program

Floods in Kudus, which cause complex risks, must be overcome immediately. The coordination between related parties is actually carried out. The Main Post of the Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in Kudus is used as a coordination center. The regional officials, TNI, police, volunteers, and related organizations are the coordinating parties. Here are several programs that have been implemented.

1. Evacuation

Although all flood victims were urged to evacuate, only a few agreed. Some others remained at their homes. The number of refugees, which was initially in the hundreds, became thousands after the flood area expanded.

Totally, there are ten refugee areas. Most of the refugees, namely 396 people, live in the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) Building. The evacuation process was more effective because of the assistance of a fleet from a company.

2. Distribution of Aid

In distributing aid, priority is given to basic needs. Food, drink, clothing, and medicine are the primary needs that must be provided to all victims. The distribution is coordinated by the local government. Other assistance includes personal care and hygiene kits. Children's toys are also provided as a trauma healing method.

Beyond relying solely on external aid, the local government, along with volunteers, has set up posts and public kitchens at several locations. A company in Kudus is also assisting with clean water distribution.

3. Weather Modification

After several days, only some areas of the floodwaters began to recede. To speed up the receding of the floodwaters and prevent their recurrence, the government addressed the situation with weather modification operations.

The modification generally involves using cloud seeding techniques. This method involves using aircraft to spray chemicals into clouds in other areas, thereby displacing rain. The chemicals are salts or silver iodide.

4. River Basin Normalization

The role of rivers as rainwater reservoirs and drainage channels should be considered. The limited water catchment areas exacerbated the floods. The lack of areas is an impact of the minimum river basins. Many rivers became shallower due to sediment deposition. Blockages also occur due to garbage and other waste.

Therefore, river basin normalization is needed to restore flow and restore adequate river capacity. This will reduce the severity of flooding and even prevent it.

Floods in Kudus, which are classified as complex risks, can be handled quickly. For further improvement, the weather warning system needs to be enhanced. Warning signals should not only be alarms or sirens, but also emergency messages. Through emergency messages, weather information can be disseminated quickly and widely. So, the changes in weather or severe weather can be immediately identified.

The government can provide an emergency messaging machine to reduce risk. The machine can send emergency messages in real time to mobile phones. They have a wide range of 500 m to 2 km for all operators. The product is available at smsbroadcaster.com.