Floods inflict $18.39m in losses
Floods inflict $18.39m in losses
JAKARTA (JP): The recent floods which killed 10 people and devastated five mayoralties have inflicted a total of Rp 39.54 billion (US$18.39 million) in material losses.
The City Social Services Agency reported on Saturday that the amount was calculated on the basis of the number of houses and other items owned by the 60,110 families, or 354,015 residents, whose homes were either damaged or destroyed by the flooding from Jan.4 to 8.
The records had been compiled up to Friday.
East Jakarta, the most devastated area, recorded the largest amount of losses at Rp 13.5 billion. Seven districts, or 18 subdistricts, with 15,614 families were hit by the worst floods in the capital in the last 20 years.
The second largest amount of losses, Rp 11.73 billion, was recorded in South Jakarta where as many as 7,722 families from five districts and nine subdistricts were forced out of their homes by the water.
Central Jakarta, with total losses of Rp 8.5 billion, ranked third. A total of 8,169 families in six districts were evacuated last week.
West Jakarta ranks fourth with Rp 3.62 billion in losses. As many as 8,400 families there lost their belongings during the flooding.
Ranked last is North Jakarta with Rp 2.17 billion losses suffered by 20,209 families.
The floods hit a total of 58 subdistricts in Jakarta early last week.
Rp 182.5 million
The city administration has received Rp 182.5 million in cash for the flood victims from the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, the Ministry of Social Services, the House of Representatives, the Ministry of Public Works and the Lippo and Sinar Mas business groups.
The administration has also received aid packages containing foodstuffs, books, clothes and mattresses valued at Rp 168.93 million from individuals, private companies and the Jakarta Social Services Agency.
"All the aid has been distributed," Emon Setia Sumantri, the head of the agency, said on Saturday.
The Ministry of Social Services will provide more aid packages worth a total of Rp 187.5 million for the victims.
The city administration has set aside Rp 350 million from its routine budget. East Jakarta and South Jakarta have received Rp 100 million each, while the remaining mayoralties got Rp 50 million each.
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja handed over the donations to district heads on Saturday during a tour of the flood-ravaged areas.
"Please distribute these funds wisely and make sure that all of the victims get their share," Surjadi said.
During the inspection tour, the governor visited Pengadegan subdistrict in South Jakarta which was still flooded by one meter of water on Saturday. Four suction pumps have been installed in the area to speed up the drying out process.
Surjadi told residents not to dump any garbage into waterways and not to build any structures along river banks in order to prevent floods in the future.
"I saw that some residents have started rebuilding their houses. I will order my subordinates to warn them," he told reporters.
The city administration plans to build barracks to temporarily relocate flood victims, especially former river bank squatters.
The city administration also plans to build low-cost apartments in Petamburan subdistrict, Central Jakarta, to relocate 9,800 flood victims from that area. (yns)