Jakarta braves biggest flood since independence

Jakarta braves biggest flood since independence

By Johannes Simbolon

JAKARTA (JP): The flood is over, leaving mud, wrecked houses, and trauma in the minds of victims.

On Wednesday, when the Ciliwung river which rose out of its banks last Saturday had returned to normal levels, Sobaruddin, a conductor for the PPD state bus firm, who lives in Kramat Jati district, East Jakarta stood dejectedly, arms akimbo, in front of his house.

Although most of the other houses in the area were dry, water still reached knee-level in Sobaruddin's home.

"Please, print my name in your paper so my superior will know. I have not been to work since last Thursday because of this flood," he told The Jakarta Post with tears in his eyes.

Tears are the logical consequence of the disaster which has deprived the victims of many things, from their "valuable" TV sets to small amounts of savings, livestock and the lives of their beloved.

The flood killed six people and caused an estimated loss of tens of billions of rupiahs in property to the thousands of poor families who live alongside the Ciliwung River in Kalibata, Kampung Melayu and Manggarai districts.

The floods also spread to other parts of the city, including the Tanah Abang area in Central Jakarta, the Slipi and Glodok areas in the west and the Sunter area in the north.

Rais, 60, a Betawi man, who lives in Bukit Duri subdistrict, Tebet, South Jakarta, is among those who lost a loved one during the flood.

He recalled that when the water started to rise to an alarming height on Saturday, he and his 20-year-old son worked hand in hand to rescue his wife, Aisah, 50, by carrying her up into the attic of their home. She had been bedridden with an illness for about a month.

When the water kept rising, they were forced to carry her out of the protected space of the attic onto the open rooftop. There, Aisah had to stay all night long. She died at midday the following day owing to a lack of food, water and exposure.

"I am a lonely man now. There goes the woman who's taken care of me throughout her life," said Rais.

Yet his voice was not sad, which is typical of the Betawi (indigenous Jakartan) people, who can always find humor in misfortune.

"Flooding is part of our routine of life. But, I had never seen such a big flood in my life, except once in the Japanese era (1942-1945). That time, there were only a few houses here. When the flood came, the area became a sea. There wasn't such a spectacle of rooftops sticking up as there was three days ago," Rais recalled.

Whereas Aisah died after futile rescue efforts, Mamat and Ace, both ojek (motorbike taxi) drivers in Tanah Abang district, died in what looked like a suicidal disregard of their own safety.

The youths of the area have the habit of holding diving competitions in the Banjir Kanal waterway, which branches off the Ciliwung's branch toward the west, every time the water level goes up.

Thus, when the flooding started, Mamat, Ace and several of their friends joyfully dived into the middle of the river. Both were believed to have become trapped in the mud. Their bodies resurfaced several hours later.

"It's a new year now, you know. Like human beings, the river wanted to celebrate New Year's. Thus, it swallowed them. Every year, the river imbibes in at least one human life," Hasan, a fellow ojek driver, expressed his animistic views, to the Post.

Some victims are upset that government officials did not warn them about the flooding hours before, while others insist there was a warning, which they did not heed, thinking that it would be a small flood as usual.

"Around midday on Saturday, the subdistrict chief, along with some policemen, came to our neighborhood to warn us that a big flood would come. But we thought it would only be slightly bigger than usual," said Ompong, a resident of Rawa Jati subdistrict, Pancoran district, South Jakarta.

The residents's misinterpretation of the warning was understandable because they had never experienced such a big flood before.

The authorities usually know up to nine hours ahead of time when the Ciliwung River will rise over its banks in Jakarta.

The level of the river, which originates from a source near Tugu village, Bogor regency, is first monitored at the Katulampa, Bogor control station, then at the Depok control station under the Panus bridge.

It takes three hours for water passing through Katulampa to reach Depok 32 kilometers away, and another six hours from Depok to the Manggarai control station, a distance of 35.5 km.

Marsan, the Depok control station watcher, said he had sent information on each rise in the river's level to the Jati Baru central flood monitoring office and Manggarai control station from early Saturday morning.

As usual, these stations passed on the information to all governmental offices in areas which the Ciliwung River passes through. These officials then sent warnings to area residents by all possible means, including by radio, by phone, or by going door to door.

The flooding reached its peak at 2.30 p.m. in Depok, and around 10 p.m. in Jakarta.

By that time, most of the residents were on their rooftops facing cold, hunger, thirst, and the fear that the water would rise higher to submerge them all.

"We routinely experience floods. But, it was not a flood that came on Saturday evening, it was a calamity. No one is to blame," said Olan Hasibuan, a resident of Pancoran district, as he sadly gazed at his ruined home.