City Hall moves to help residents, belatedly

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was a case of too little, too late, as Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso claimed on Wednesday that his administration would take emergency action to alleviate much of the grief from the floods and chaos which had all but paralyzed the capital.

After weeks of procrastination, the governor declared that various measures were being taken to help those affected by the chaos.

The stopgap measures, which provided little, if any, immediate relief, in effect were of little comfort to the millions of Jakartans who were left stranded in colossal traffic jams or had to helplessly watch their life's possessions being soaked by the rising water.

As the citywide crisis, which began at dawn, quickly worsened into a potential national crisis, Sutiyoso hastily rounded up his aids and mayors on Wednesday to make a public show that something was being done.

"Actually I should be attending a meeting with regional heads now, but I've asked for a leave from the Home Affairs Minister so the Jakarta mayors and I can concentrate on the floods," Sutiyoso said.

After chairing an emergency meeting attended by military, police and civilian officials at his office, Sutiyoso pledged that help was on the way.

If Sutiyoso had taken the situation more seriously and taken anticipatory steps maybe some of this could have been prevented, many residents lamented.

The severe rain and flood was not unexpected. For weeks officials had warned of a sudden increase of rain. The Public Works Agency had warned that the capital was simply unprepared to handle it.

But Sutiyoso seemed oblivious to the impending dangers, repeatedly stressing that floods had long been a problem in Jakarta and there was nothing he could do about it.

Unfortunately, the carelessness of many people in taking precautionary measures may have cost the lives of 14 people.

On Wednesday Sutiyoso said that residents could "rest assured that action was being taken".

He said a Flood Monitoring Post, controlled from City Hall, had been established. This would coordinate with similar agencies and departments in each of the five mayoralties to handle flood- related problems.

He also claimed that those who needed help could also call a hotline for assistance: The main number for greater Jakarta is 351-7984, South Jakarta 739-6321, East Jakarta 4870-2443, West Jakarta 582-1765, North Jakarta 496-4752 and Central Jakarta 384- 3066 or 385-0636.

However, there was no response when the first two numbers were repeatedly called by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday night.

Sutiyoso also said that the situation had been upgraded to "High Alert Status" for residents living near the main rivers of Ciliwung and Pesanggrahan.

The governor's belated action offered little comfort for those residents who were already knee deep in water.

Sutiyoso and other officials on Wednesday evening also got a birdseye view of the chaos as he flew in a helicopter to observe the damage.

The governor claimed that health posts would be setup for victims, and his administration would dip into its reserve fund to help relief operations.

Sutiyoso claimed that around 100 tons of rice had been distributed to five mayoralties in the capital, adding that his administration had also received 200 tons of rice donated by the central government.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri instructed Health Minister Achmad Suyudi to closely monitor the situation, warning of the possible spread of disease.

The president plans to visit a few flood sites on Thursday.