City poorly prepared to tackle flood problem<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A non-governmental organization criticized on Tuesday the city
\nadministration's apparent lack of preparation to help flood
\nvictims in anticipation of heavy rains this monsoon season.<\/p>\n
"During two days of flooding last week, no official from the
\nadministration warned residents of the danger of floods," Debbie
\nPrabawati of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Besides the absence of an official warning, Debbie said
\nresidents did not receive enough help, such as rafts to evacuate
\nthem from their flooded homes and adequate food supplies.<\/p>\n
She revealed that the public received incorrect information
\nfrom officials, who announced that there would be a massive flood
\nlast Saturday.<\/p>\n
"On that day (Saturday), many residents opted to stay home
\nbecause of the (false) information, but there was no such flood
\non Saturday," Debbie said.<\/p>\n
Members of Fakta include hundreds of residents living in 20
\nflood-prone areas in the city.<\/p>\n
Representatives of concerned residents held a meeting on
\nTuesday to discuss anticipatory measures to be taken in case of
\nfloods in the near future and the administration's lack of
\npreparation.<\/p>\n
Last year, the residents, accompanied by Fakta and several
\nother non-governmental organizations, filed a class action
\nlawsuit against the President, the West Java governor and the
\nJakarta governor for their alleged lack of action to help
\nresidents during the massive floods in February 2002.<\/p>\n
But the Central Jakarta District Court rejected the lawsuit in
\nNovember last year, saying that the residents should sue the
\nmayors and not the three defendants, since they had no direct
\nlegal obligation in the matter.<\/p>\n
Debbie revealed on Tuesday that the residents had appealed the
\ncourt's decision with the Jakarta High Court.<\/p>\n
"We will add the current condition (of the city's lack of
\npreparation) in our appeal," she said.<\/p>\n
Following last week's flooding, City Secretary Ritola Tasmaya,
\nwho is also chief of the city flood disaster support agency, said
\nlast Wednesday that the administration had prepared 301 shelters
\nin the city's five municipalities to house the displaced in the
\nevent of flood.<\/p>\n
Ritola said the administration would also provide 176 communal
\nkitchens, 163 trucks, 68 ambulances and four helicopters to help
\nflood victims.<\/p>\n
During last Wednesday's meeting with Ritola and the city's
\nfive mayors, Governor Sutiyoso admitted that his officials had
\nfailed to warn the public.<\/p>\n
"I regret that information about flooding on Monday and
\nTuesday did not reach residents," Sutiyoso said at the meeting.<\/p>\n
Separately, city spokesman Muhayat said on Tuesday that
\nequipment to help flood victims, including rafts, had been placed
\nat subdistrict offices in flood-prone areas.<\/p>\n
"We have distributed equipment to areas frequently hit by
\nflood," Muhayat told the Post.<\/p>\n
He said the administration had yet to allocate special funds
\nto help people displaced by flood, adding that the funds would be
\nprovided by city agencies.<\/p>\n
Last year's massive floods inundated 176 subdistricts, claimed
\n34 lives and displaced 384,294 people.<\/p>\n
Excluding helicopters, the administration also provided a
\nsimilar number of trucks, ambulances, rafts, communal kitchens
\nand shelters last year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-poorly-prepared-to-tackle-flood-problem-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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