Much of the Timor-Leste capital of Dili has been heavily flooded with rivers bursting their banks after three days of heavy rain over the Easter weekend, say disaster relief officials.

The floodwaters in some parts of the city have reached many metres deep with houses on the banks of the Comoro River being dragged into the raging waters, reports Lusa news agency.

The Civil Protection agency told Lusa that it was difficult to take full stock of the situation and determine the full numbers of casualties because ′′the whole city is a disaster zone”.

• READ MORE: Dozens dead as torrential rain leads to floods and landslides in Indonesia and Timor-Leste
• Hundreds mass at Dili’s exit points in bid try to flee Timorese capital

However, some reports say at least 11 people have died. The floods have come on top of a city already reeling from a serious covid-19 pandemic crisis.

Part of the oceanside Avenue de Portugal, where some embassies are located, has been seriously flooded with the waters entering the homes, including the Lusa office.

Several residents, including Portuguese citizens, have already been forced to leave their homes in spite of the difficulties of moving around Dili because of the floodwaters.

The high tide overnight and large volume of river water has raised the levels across almost the city, with civil protection teams, firefighters and government emergency services desperately spread around the city trying to help people.

Throughout the early morning residents in several parts of the city sent photos and videos to Lusa attesting to the fury of the floodwaters in some places.

An unknown number of families have lost their homes, with several areas – including the Presidential Palace compound – being flooded.

There is also concern about two places used to isolate patients suffering from covid-19 – the Vera Cruz Centre in Dili and the Tasitolu area.

Over the past few days, weather services have warned of the risk of heavy rainfall in several parts of the country, prominently on the north coast, due to the effects of a low pressure system, located on the Indonesian western part of the island of Timor.

Heavy rains had already caused problems in several municipalities in the country in recent days, with reports of destroyed homes and other infrastructure affected, including roads and bridges.

Some residents say the rainfall and situation in Dili today was significantly more serious than last year on 13 March 2020 when flooding affected tens of thousands of people in the capital.

Older residents have told Lusa they do not remember heavy flooding like this in Dili since the 1970s.

Hundreds of people, many of them students, mobbed exit routes out of the Timorese capital Dili on Good Friday seeking to leave the city to escape the difficulties they are experiencing over the covid lockdown.

Citizens and the Timorese press reported large groups at the city’s main exit points east, west and south, with many cars concentrated since early Good Friday morning.

The situation was confirmed to Lusa news agency by a government source, which spoke of at least 1000 people involved in the crush.

• READ MORE: Other reports on the Timor-Leste covid crisis

The secretary-general of Fretilin, the largest party in the Timorese government, yesterday appealed for the creation of ′′urban exodus′′ corridors to allow residents in Dili to return to their home towns.

Dr Mari Alkatiri also advocated providing ′′transport to facilitate travel and carry out health control′′ and that there each citizen and vehicle leaving the urban health barrier be clearly identified.

“Citizens already tested in Dili should not mix with those not yet tested in the same car,” Dr Alkatiri wrote on a Facebook post.

The lockdown situation was tense in Dili, with long rows cars packed at the outlets, Tasi Tolu (west), Manleuana (south) and Hera (east).

‘We can’t handle Dili living’
“We have to travel to the municipalities. We can’t handle living conditions here in Dili,” Feliciano Mota, one of the many who tried to leave from Tasi Tolu, told the Timorese agency Tatoli.

The lockdown affects many of Dili’s residents, especially students, who rely on regular support from their families in districts, including food, but have not had it since the beginning of the restrictions on March 8.

The executive delivered bags of rice to higher education students, but students complain that assistance is not enough and have asked to be able to return to their families.

Many other Dili inhabitants of experience the same problems, as their socioeconomic situation is precarious and has significantly worsened since the beginning of the lockdown.

The government has deliberated extending the lockdown until at least April 16 due to the steady increase in cases of covid-19, a decision that has alarmed many people, due to the difficult conditions they are going through.

Part of Good Friday’s movements were attributed to fake messages that went viral on Facebook and Whatsapp, claiming the lockdown would be lifted temporarily that day and movement would be allowed out of the capital.

Deputy Interior Minister António Armindo told Lusa that despite the great concentration of people – ′′up to a thousand′′ – there were no problems recorded so far and that the situation was ′′controlled”.

‘I feel the pain’
′′I feel the pain people feel, but this is a universal public health issue and we all have to work together,” Armindo said.

′′We understand that they want to go back, they can’t afford food or pay their rent, but the government has put the lockdown in place to avoid the virus spreading and the more movement there is, the greater the risk of pandemic reaching the the municipalities.”

Armindo recalled that there was a procedure to apply for permission for travelling to the Integrated Center for Crisis Management (IGC), demanding that some criteria be met, including a negative covid-19. test.

′′Some are frustrated, because we have a lot of requests, and that takes time to process, due to the limitations we have. But these measures are essential,” he explained.

′′We’re seeing additional possibilities to help them. They need help but we have to make sure public health is protected because the risk is currently too high. This situation has already occurred in other countries, and flexing a lot has led to many cases and even deaths.”

Fidelis Magalhães, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, told Lusa that the rules were clear and that there was no opening of the lockdown, which would continue as a measure to stop the spread of the virus.

′′ The government is making every effort to meet the needs of the population and it has prepared a package of socio-economic support measures already in Parliament,” he said.

Timor-Leste is currently experiencing the worst period since the beginning of the pandemic, with 451 active cases in the country – the highest ever, and a total of 643 accumulated cases.

The government approved the renewal of the lockdown and quarantine measures until April 16 in Dili and until April 9 at least in Baucau and Viqueque.

Antonio Sampaio is the Lusa News Agency bureau chief. This article is republished with permission.