Beware of floods: Official
JAKARTA (JP): A city administration official warned Jakartans yesterday to prepare themselves for possible major floods.
Toha Reno, a senior city public order office official, said some flood-prone areas had already been inundated due the frequent rainfall over the past week.
"It depends on land height. If certain areas are surrounded by tall buildings, the lower areas will definitely be hit by flood," Toha said.
Over the past three days, parts of Joglo, South Jakarta, were 30 centimeters under water while parts of Meruya Ilir, West Jakarta, were 20 cm under water, according data at Toha's office.
Bintaro, near Kali Pesanggrahan, was also reportedly flooded.
"The rain only lasted a week or so. If the rain falls heavier next time, these areas will probably be hit by bigger flood. So I urge all Jakartans to be prepared, because flood can happen anywhere, anytime," Toha said.
The worst case was recorded in Warakas, North Jakarta, where two schools were inundated for almost a week, Toha said.
The two school were junior high school SMPN Teluk Gong and elementary school SDN 03/08 Teluk Gong.
The schools were still flooded as of yesterday.
"This is terrible, because hundreds of students will have to wait for the water to recede. We have taken action with the city's public works agency to dry out the area to enable the children to resume school."
According to preliminary data, the number of flood-prone areas is projected to increase from 82 last year to about 100 this year.
"Flooding will be widespread this rainy season, basically because of the rapid growth of development projects during the dry season. Many projects did not have adequate drainage systems."
The head of the city public works agency, Soeharto, said yesterday his agency had set up a flood prevention program last year.
"We set up flood posts in each of the city's five mayoralties last October. The officers will be on standby until April this year," Soeharto said.
A senior official of the Meteorology and Geophysical Agency said rain was expected to fall sporadically throughout Jakarta this month.
Agus Paulus said Monday that the rainfall in Jakarta was considered normal.
"But the intensity is different. The rain may just fall cats and dogs today, and then only a little rain the next day. The intensity is unpredictable."
In some areas, there will be less rainfall, such as in West and South Jakarta. "It all depends on cloud formation," he added.
In a related development, Hadi M. Abednego of the Directorate General of Contagious Disease and Environmental Improvement, warned people of the possibility of outbreaks of dengue fever, diarrhea and other skin diseases which usually occur in the rainy season.
"In this changing season, people must be aware of their environment. Keep your surroundings clean and tidy. Don't let yourself or your loved ones fall sick. The price of medicine is very expensive now. It's better to be safe than sorry," he said. (edt)