City still not ready for rainy season

City still not ready for rainy season

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Bogor

The city's flood and natural disaster crisis center was quiet on
Tuesday despite warnings of possible flooding in the coming weeks
as the rainy season picks us.

Hidden on the second floor of Blok D in City Hall on Jl. Medan
Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta, the glass doors of the crisis
center were locked and no office equipment was seen inside.

"Of course the room is still empty. We have yet to start
working. The crisis center will be in full operation if we
considered the situation to be an emergency," the head of the
City Crisis Prevention Agency, Z.A.T. Siregar, told The Jakarta
Post.

He said all those officials involved in flood prevention
projects, including himself, had printed a book containing
information on the crisis center. The book will be distributed to
administration officials by Oct. 23.

"The book contains details about the project, including a list
of flood-prone areas, where we will build help centers and other
things," he said, adding that the officials will hold a meeting
later this week.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) warned last week
of possible flooding in mid-October, when heavy rain is expected
in areas south of Jakarta, namely Puncak, Bogor and Depok.

BMG's deputy for observation affairs, Hery Harjanto, said that
although the rainy season was likely to begin in earnest in mid-
November, the floods would come earlier.

However, Manurung said rainfall had not yet reached alarming
levels "and rain just started a couple of days ago ....
Everything is normal as far as I know".

In Bogor, staff at the Ciliwung-Katulampa dam said the rate of
flow of the Ciliwung River remained normal.

The Ciliwung River is the largest and the longest of 11 rivers
flowing through the capital, and a modest increase in its flow
can cause flooding.

Syafei, who works at the dam, told the Post he feared an
increase in the river's flow rate due to heavy rain in Bogor and
around the Telaga Warna Lake in Puncak.

Another dam employee, Andi Sudriman, said that on its way to
Jakarta, the river picked up additional discharge from 10 rivers:
Cimandala, Cimega Mendung, Citangiang, Cisampay, Cisarua, Cibogo,
Cisuka Birus, Cijulang, Cibongas and Ciesek.