Jakartans brace for flooding as rains come

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People living in the city's flood-prone areas said on Saturday they were ready to face the annual calamity, which, according to a forecast from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), might occur this week.

Some residents have made preparations to anticipate flooding, while others confess they have no idea about what to do by way of precautions.

"What should we do in anticipation of the floods? We can't stop them if they come," Son Haji, a resident of Kampung Melayu subdistrict, told The Jakarta Post.

"What we can do is flee our homes as in previous years if the water level gets too high," said Son, whose house is built on a bank of the Ciliwung River.

Water inundated his house as high as the ceiling during last year's flooding. Son and hundreds of others in the neighborhood fled their homes and took shelter at a number of venues, such as mosques, the subdistrict office, tents or in relatives' houses.

Sumini, a widow whose husband died from an illness during last year's flooding, said that she had not made any specific preparations.

"No, not yet. I will take our belongings upstairs if the water begins to overflow the (Ciliwung) river," said Sumini, who also lives in Kampung Melayu.

She hoped this year's flooding would not be as serious as last year's, when water reached a height of one meter on the upper story of her house.

During last year's flooding, many residents could not save their belongings as the water arrived suddenly while they slept, and local officials had failed to warn them about the impending disaster.

Meanwhile, Purwanto, from Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, said some residents had cleared sewers in the surrounding area. But he added that such efforts were useless as other residents continued to throw garbage into them.

Purwanto said that subdistrict officials had issued warnings about possible flooding. A number of residents have also been trained in how to deal with the emergency when it arises.

"We have been trained in how to use rubber dinghies, assist victims and help sick people if floods hit our area," said Purwanto, adding that officials had also circulated leaflets about what to do during the emergency.

He said floods had occurred in their area for five years, particularly after a number of buildings were constructed in the area.

"Previously, water did not reach this area, but after many buildings were constructed on former rice fields, ours has become a flood-prone area," said Purwanto, referring to a number of commercial buildings erected along Jl. Daan Mogot, close to Kalideres bus station.

Last year's floods, the most serious in Jakarta's modern history, affected more than 300,000 people.

At that time, during the peak of the rainy season, downpours reached 400 millimeters (mm), far greater than the normal 100 mm.

BMG has forecast that rainfall might be as great as 100 mm per day next week and it might rain for three consecutive days. Should that happen, the city's flood-prone areas would be inundated.

The agency has said that this year's floods would not be as extensive as last year's. However, it warns of possible serious flooding in several areas, particularly in areas close to rivers that flow from upstream areas like Bogor, Depok and Tangerang. The situation could become even more critical if it rained in the upstream areas too.

Last year, the situation was made worse because the peak of the rainy season occurred during full moon.

This month, full moon falls on Jan. 17.

Both BMG and the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) said that the rain would be intense early this month.

It is predicted that it will rain hard in January and February throughout the country, including Jakarta, which has 73 areas that are prone to flooding.