Flooding recedes, vigilance urged

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Floods that have inundated many areas across Jakarta during the past few days receded on Friday, but city authorities are calling for vigilance for the duration of the rainy season.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said the joint task force in charge of helping flood victims would not be disbanded until the flood threat was over.

"The task force, manned by 40,000 police, along with personnel from the city agency, the military and the Red Cross and the Search and Rescue Team, remains in place around the clock to help flood victims," he said.

However, Sutiyoso, who announced that flooding in the capital had reached a critical level on Wednesday has downgraded his alert, citing data that showed floods receding in may parts of the city.

The city flood and disaster mitigation task force, meanwhile, said the number of flood victims in temporary shelters across the city soared to 20,000 on Thursday, from only 8,000 on Wednesday.

Most were staying in temporary shelters, with some residents making trips home to clean up their houses.

Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta has been the area worst affected by the floods, with 4,420 people reportedly leaving their homes for shelters.

The floods have also claimed two lives. Syahril, 30, a resident of Bukit Duri in South Jakarta, died of electrocution after he was trapped in his home, which was already engulfed by water from the overflowing Ciliwung River. Residents also found an unidentified man, who was drowned in the flooded area, in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.

The worst flooding in the city's modern history in 2002 killed 31 people killed and left 300,000 people homeless.

The city administration has promised to use its reserve funds of Rp 500 billion this year to help flood victims.

The Jakarta Post observed that most flood refugees in Manggarai, South Jakarta and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta had returned to their homes on Friday after water levels had receded.

They were seen busily draining their homes, cleaning mud from their possessions and removing garbage.

"This is really hard tiring work. We usually need a week to clean up all the mess," said Surtini, a mother of two children, who resides in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta.

Shop owners along Jl. Jatinegara Barat were also seen salvaging merchandise, much of which had been ruined by flooding.

Police have opened the fast lane of the road for traffic, while the slow lanes were still occupied by temporary tents for the flood victims.

Many flood victims said they would not move yet from their temporary shelters because they feared more floods.

"That's why we have not yet returned to our homes. It's safer for us to stay at temporary shelters," said Yati, whose home was still partly submerged in water.

Yati was forced to shorten her holiday in Semarang, Central Java, because of the floods.