PALMOILMAGAZINE, SOUTH TAPANULI, NORTH SUMATRA – PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Agri Siais (ANJAS), a subsidiary of PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Tbk (ANJ), located in Pardomuan Village, South Angkola District, South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra Province, actively contributes to natural disaster mitigation efforts in its operational area.
As a form of commitment to the surrounding community, ANJAS sent assistance in the form of heavy equipment such as excavators or dredging machines on Tuesday (12/11). This assistance aims to help build ditches and embankments on the Mosa River in Garonggang, as an effort to anticipate floods that often hit the area during the rainy season.
The Head of Garonggang Neighborhood, Somad Pulungan, explained that the Garonggang area is located on the bend of the Mosa River, so when the rainy season comes, the river often overflows and submerges residential areas. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, the local government plans to divert the flow of the river and build embankments along the riverbank bordering residential areas.
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Previously, the South Tapanuli Regency Government had built concrete embankments along the riverbanks bordering settlements, but several points of the embankments have now been damaged by flooding.
“The current condition of the embankment has been damaged. Previously, these embankments were built by the South Tapanuli government, but a few months ago they were damaged by floods. With the help of ANJAS, we are trying to build new ditches and embankments as a precautionary measure, considering that it has been raining frequently with high intensity lately,” Somad said, as quoted from a statement received by Palmoilmagazine.com.
The length of the trenches and embankments made using ANJAS’ heavy equipment reached around 500 meters. Apart from anticipating flooding, the construction of the ditches and embankments also aims to facilitate the flow of water. This is very important because a few hundred meters after the embankment location there is a rice field owned by the Garonggang community, which covers an area of around 20 hectares and relies heavily on the flow of water from the Mosa River.
MHD Amrol Siregar, General Manager of ANJAS, explained that the company continues to be committed to contributing to disaster management around the company’s environment. ANJAS continues to assist the government in disaster management in areas surrounding the company, especially in anticipating floods.
“We also realize the importance of the existence of community rice fields in Garonggang, because if flooding occurs, it will certainly have an impact on the social and economic life of residents. As one of the investors in Pardomuan Village, we have a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to contribute and help prevent greater losses. This assistance is part of ANJAS’ efforts to continue supporting disaster management activities and ensuring the welfare of the surrounding community,” Amrol explained. (P3)
