Flood hits thousands of homes in E. Jakarta

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The overflow from the Ciliwung River following heavy rains in and around Jakarta from early Wednesday inundated thousands of houses in Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta.

The areas affected include parts of Jl. Casablanca and Jl Jatinegara Barat close to Kampung Melayu bus terminal, which caused serious traffic congestions up to Jl. Matraman Raya, leading to Senen area in Central Jakarta.

"On some roads water was seen at nearly 30 centimeters. For sedans, it was better not to try to get through," said Berta, a motorist on Jl. Casablanca, heading to Kampung Melayu bus terminal.

The traffic congestion also affected several roads heading to Manggarai railway station in South Jakarta as the water drenched Jl. Taman Bukit Duri where a high school (SMA 8) is located. The hardest hit area was Kampung Melayu in South Jakarta as the area directly borders the Ciliwung, which originates in the hills of West Java above Bogor.

The flood also hit Bukit Duri and Kebon Baru subdistricts.

Nasir, an official from the Kampung Melayu subdistrict office said that at least 25 neighborhood units were inundated by water. He said in certain areas, the water was up to three meters high.

According to Nasir, some 1,235 families or some 6,637 people were affected by the floods, prompting them to take shelter in a number of places, like the subdistrict office, mosques, churches and schools.

According to Nasir the water had begun rising in the area at 4 a.m. on Wednesday and people started evacuating their houses at 9 a.m., except for those that wanted to guard their belongings from looters.

The area was also greatly affected by the huge flood last year when most of the city was inundated and over 300,000 people had to leave their homes.

The Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG) previously estimated that the dry season had begun in April.

The Ciliwung riverbank in Kampung Melayu subdistrict is overcrowded with temporary houses, most built illegally. The government has tried to evict them for their own safety on a number of occasions, but their efforts are always met with stiff resistance.

Ciliwung is one of the largest rivers of the 13 in the city. Heavy rains upstream will almost certainly cause flooding in Jakarta.

Flooding has grown increasingly worse in recent years, exacerbated by unregulated building both upstream in Puncak and Bogor as well as in Jakarta.