Floods cause traffic jams after heavy downpour

JAKARTA (JP): Several streets in the city were flooded yesterday after a two-hour torrential downpour, the first such spate since February.

Slow lanes on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. MH. Thamrin, and along to the Tanah Abang crossroad in Central Jakarta, were soon up to 25 cms under water.

Streets also flooded in Slipi and Grogol, West Jakarta, as did the Cawang crossroad in East Jakarta. The rain started at 1 p.m.

The flooding caused traffic jams for almost four hours. Some cars broke down on Jl. Jend. Sudirman and on the intersection of Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur and the Karet cemetery.

Water up to 50 centimeters deep inundated the Dukuh Atas underpass beneath Jl. Jend. Sudirman, causing heavy congestion in nearby streets.

In February the underpass leading to Jl. Inspeksi, on which the Hotel Shangri-La stands, was flooded almost up to its traffic lights.

Some cars also broke down in the underpass and drivers feared the water would rise even higher.

Streets around the National Monument (Monas) park were also congested when water rose.

Two bajaj (three-wheeled motorized taxis) stalled on Jl. Sultan Agung, South Jakarta, causing a long traffic jam on the streets leading to Jl. Jend. Sudirman.

During the February floods at least 20 people died. Some said that the flood was the worst in decades.

The city administration is undertaking several programs to avoid a repetition of the February floods. These include dredging rivers and adding more water pumps. (jun)