Not all consider flood a disaster<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
To the residents of a slum in Manggarai, South Jakarta, the
\nfloods that inundate their houses each year during the rainy
\nseason are considered more of a tradition than a catastrophe.<\/p>\n
Helping each other to move belongings and furniture, cooking
\nand eating together at the makeshift public kitchen while their
\nchildren play in the water, is an excitement to these people
\nwhose houses are located on the banks of the Ciliwung river.<\/p>\n
All seem well aware of the risks of residing in the area,
\nwhere some have built their kitchen only a meter away from the
\nwater, and accept the floods as a part of life.<\/p>\n
\"The flooding does not depress us, it's like a yearly
\ntradition ... we usually have lots of fun and laughter during
\nthat time,\" said Wahyuningsih, whose house is commonly used as a
\nshelter by her neighbors.<\/p>\n
As much as they enjoy it, of course, none of them really look
\nforward to the annual deluge, she said, as it also brings
\ninconvenience.<\/p>\n
\"We dread having to clean our homes from the mud and other
\nthings the water brings in ... sometimes our place is inundated
\nseveral times, meaning that we have to clean up each time the
\nwater subsides,\" she added, while her neighbors nodded in
\nagreement.<\/p>\n
The worst case of flooding in their area was in 1996 when
\nhouses were almost underwater with the exception of the roof.
\nNowadays, the floods, which normally reach knee-high, occur when
\nit is raining heavily in Bogor.<\/p>\n
Another resident, Ngadimun Hadisuwito, built an attic in
\nanticipation of the flood. There he would keep his valuables and
\npet pigeons, while his family of seven would move temporarily to
\nthe mosque.<\/p>\n
He too, no longer felt burdened by the flooding, as he
\nrealized that if he wished to live comfortably he would have to
\nmove to another location.<\/p>\n
\"But where would we move to? I don't have the money to move
\nand build a new house,\" said Ngadiman, who sells fried snacks at
\nthe nearby market.<\/p>\n
\"I'm glad that my neighbors are helpful in times of trouble.
\nProbably it is because we are all in the same predicament, we
\nunderstand each other's situation,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
As a result of the routine flooding, the residents are now
\nable to anticipate the floods by observing the river.<\/p>\n
\"When we see the river water flowing rapidly we prepare
\nourselves for the flood,\" said Siti Nurkomala, whose kitchen,
\nwhich is only a meter away from the water, has been swept away by
\nthe flood about three times now.<\/p>\n
According to the community chief, Alamsyah, as many as 500
\npeople are seriously affected by the flood each year. Yet none
\nhave any intention of moving, due to financial constraints.<\/p>\n
The residents, Alamsyah said, were mostly construction workers
\nand vendors at the nearby Rumput market.<\/p>\n
\"I once heard that the city administration planned to
\nreallocate us, but most of us have been living here for several
\ngenerations,\" he commented.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/not-all-consider-flood-a-disaster-1447893297",
"image": ""
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