It is a national disaster

It is a national disaster

Never before in Jakarta's 475-year history has there been such
a devastating flood as this current one. The floodwater, some of
it from days of continuous, heavy downpours, and some from the
highlands around Bogor has caused unprecedented damage here. The
flood, mostly affecting those who live near swollen rivers,
killed 10 people over the weekend alone and at least 29 people --
including an infant, who was swept away by the water -- since
last Tuesday. About 300,000 people have reportedly become
temporarily homeless, and nobody can say exactly when the
disaster will end.

It is now common to see victims sitting on the rooftops of the
their shanty huts trying to stay out of harm's way until the
rescue teams arrive by boat. Several families have even taken
refuge in public cemeteries. Many have taken refuge in temporary
shelters without adequate facilities and have been unable to
bathe for nearly a week. Food depends on handouts from neighbors
in most cases. In some areas city officials have distributed food
and dispatched medical teams to open temporary clinics to help
the victims. After seven days of disaster, skin diseases and
diarrhea are common because the water has become increasingly
polluted with all manner of chemical and organic waste.

The silver lining in this disastrous tragedy is that our
people have never ceased to smile -- at least when the TV cameras
are turned on -- or happily wave at President Megawati
Soekarnoputri and her entourage as they cruised the affected
areas by boat on Sunday.

For decades, suffering has been a way of life for many low-
income citizens here, but this time the suffering has hit not
only the slums but also affluent areas, many of which have seen
houses inundated and cars nearly submerged by water. The affluent
folk even had to be carried by truck to nearby hotels for
shelter. And those who were stuck in traffic when the flooding
hit had to abandon their cars unguarded on the streets. The
police said they sent all available officers to deal with the
traffic congestion, but in many areas there was no police
presence and the traffic was "handled" by gangs of youths who
demanded steep fees for their services, and in most cases
worsened the congestion.

Despite all that, flooding experts agreed that one of the main
causes of this debacle was the scarcity of catchment areas in and
around the city, including the hill resort of the Puncak, 100
kilometers from Jakarta, where most of the 13 rivers that flow
through the capital originate. A decreasing number of catchment
areas in and around Jakarta has caused serious flooding here more
and more frequently. The Jakarta authorities claim to have
complained, apparently to no avail, about the diminishing
catchment areas outside Jakarta, which are so important in
controlling water levels within Jakarta. Emil Salim, longtime
minister of the environment, urged the central government for
many years to put Jakarta and the surrounding areas under one
authority but the suggestion fell on deaf ears. It is now high
time to give more thought to such proposals.

As for the seriousness of this current disaster, we are of the
opinion that the central government should immediately determine
that the flood in Jakarta is a national disaster, because the
disaster has damaged not only houses but also infrastructure. In
this way the government could establish a single command
structure to handle the worsening situation more effectively,
improve food supplies and distribution and accept aid from other
countries.