Jakarta braves biggest flood since independence<\/p>\n
By Johannes Simbolon<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The flood is over, leaving mud, wrecked houses,
\nand trauma in the minds of victims.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, when the Ciliwung river which rose out of its
\nbanks last Saturday had returned to normal levels, Sobaruddin, a
\nconductor for the PPD state bus firm, who lives in Kramat Jati
\ndistrict, East Jakarta stood dejectedly, arms akimbo, in front of
\nhis house.<\/p>\n
Although most of the other houses in the area were dry, water
\nstill reached knee-level in Sobaruddin's home.<\/p>\n
\"Please, print my name in your paper so my superior will know.
\nI have not been to work since last Thursday because of this
\nflood,\" he told The Jakarta Post with tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n
Tears are the logical consequence of the disaster which has
\ndeprived the victims of many things, from their \"valuable\" TV
\nsets to small amounts of savings, livestock and the lives of
\ntheir beloved.<\/p>\n
The flood killed six people and caused an estimated loss of
\ntens of billions of rupiahs in property to the thousands of poor
\nfamilies who live alongside the Ciliwung River in Kalibata,
\nKampung Melayu and Manggarai districts.<\/p>\n
The floods also spread to other parts of the city, including
\nthe Tanah Abang area in Central Jakarta, the Slipi and Glodok
\nareas in the west and the Sunter area in the north.<\/p>\n
Rais, 60, a Betawi man, who lives in Bukit Duri subdistrict,
\nTebet, South Jakarta, is among those who lost a loved one during
\nthe flood.<\/p>\n
He recalled that when the water started to rise to an alarming
\nheight on Saturday, he and his 20-year-old son worked hand in
\nhand to rescue his wife, Aisah, 50, by carrying her up into the
\nattic of their home. She had been bedridden with an illness for
\nabout a month.<\/p>\n
When the water kept rising, they were forced to carry her out
\nof the protected space of the attic onto the open rooftop. There,
\nAisah had to stay all night long. She died at midday the
\nfollowing day owing to a lack of food, water and exposure.<\/p>\n
\"I am a lonely man now. There goes the woman who's taken care
\nof me throughout her life,\" said Rais.<\/p>\n
Yet his voice was not sad, which is typical of the Betawi
\n(indigenous Jakartan) people, who can always find humor in
\nmisfortune.<\/p>\n
\"Flooding is part of our routine of life. But, I had never
\nseen such a big flood in my life, except once in the Japanese era
\n(1942-1945). That time, there were only a few houses here. When
\nthe flood came, the area became a sea. There wasn't such a
\nspectacle of rooftops sticking up as there was three days ago,\"
\nRais recalled.<\/p>\n
Whereas Aisah died after futile rescue efforts, Mamat and Ace,
\nboth ojek (motorbike taxi) drivers in Tanah Abang district, died
\nin what looked like a suicidal disregard of their own safety.<\/p>\n
The youths of the area have the habit of holding diving
\ncompetitions in the Banjir Kanal waterway, which branches off the
\nCiliwung's branch toward the west, every time the water level
\ngoes up.<\/p>\n
Thus, when the flooding started, Mamat, Ace and several of
\ntheir friends joyfully dived into the middle of the river. Both
\nwere believed to have become trapped in the mud. Their bodies
\nresurfaced several hours later.<\/p>\n
\"It's a new year now, you know. Like human beings, the river
\nwanted to celebrate New Year's. Thus, it swallowed them. Every
\nyear, the river imbibes in at least one human life,\" Hasan, a
\nfellow ojek driver, expressed his animistic views, to the Post.<\/p>\n
Some victims are upset that government officials did not warn
\nthem about the flooding hours before, while others insist there
\nwas a warning, which they did not heed, thinking that it would be
\na small flood as usual.<\/p>\n
\"Around midday on Saturday, the subdistrict chief, along with
\nsome policemen, came to our neighborhood to warn us that a big
\nflood would come. But we thought it would only be slightly bigger
\nthan usual,\" said Ompong, a resident of Rawa Jati subdistrict,
\nPancoran district, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The residents's misinterpretation of the warning was
\nunderstandable because they had never experienced such a big
\nflood before.<\/p>\n
The authorities usually know up to nine hours ahead of time
\nwhen the Ciliwung River will rise over its banks in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The level of the river, which originates from a source near
\nTugu village, Bogor regency, is first monitored at the Katulampa,
\nBogor control station, then at the Depok control station under
\nthe Panus bridge.<\/p>\n
It takes three hours for water passing through Katulampa to
\nreach Depok 32 kilometers away, and another six hours from Depok
\nto the Manggarai control station, a distance of 35.5 km.<\/p>\n
Marsan, the Depok control station watcher, said he had sent
\ninformation on each rise in the river's level to the Jati Baru
\ncentral flood monitoring office and Manggarai control station
\nfrom early Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
As usual, these stations passed on the information to all
\ngovernmental offices in areas which the Ciliwung River passes
\nthrough. These officials then sent warnings to area residents by
\nall possible means, including by radio, by phone, or by going
\ndoor to door.<\/p>\n
The flooding reached its peak at 2.30 p.m. in Depok, and
\naround 10 p.m. in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
By that time, most of the residents were on their rooftops
\nfacing cold, hunger, thirst, and the fear that the water would
\nrise higher to submerge them all.<\/p>\n
\"We routinely experience floods. But, it was not a flood that
\ncame on Saturday evening, it was a calamity. No one is to blame,\"
\nsaid Olan Hasibuan, a resident of Pancoran district, as he sadly
\ngazed at his ruined home.<\/p>",
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