Mangga Dua business disrupted by floods

JAKARTA (JP): Extensive flooding in the Mangga Dua commercial district of Central Jakarta has made life harder for small-scale vendors and workers in the area.

The flooding -- affecting a two-kilometers stretch of Jl. Mangga Dua Raya -- has been going on for more than a month. Although it has come in the dry season, the flooding has been worse than it was in the wet season.

There have also been numerous traffic accidents, as drivers find themselves unable to see where they are going.

Although local residents have complained about the situation, the city administration has taken no action to remedy things.

Bus drivers plying the Kota-Tanjung Priok harbor route refuse to traverse the road, forcing some passengers to walk quite a distance to their work places. The buses drop the passengers at the beginning of the flooded area and return to their depots.

"Sorry passengers, but you have to get of here. Please take another bus," shouted Manulang, the driver of a Mikrolet 15A bus, carrying passengers from kota to Tanjung Priok on Saturday.

The flooding has meant worse traffic jams, particularly during rush hours.

Andri, a commuter, said that he had often had to wait for hours to get a bus to take him home in the evenings because few buses take the road.

The flooding also affects the business of roadside vendors in the area.

They say that before the road was flooded, many motorists and visitors to the shopping area parked their cars along the road and many bought goods from them.

"Now people are reluctant to even drive down the muddy street. Our turnover has declined," said Jamal, a noodle vendor.

Residents have blamed the construction of the Mangga Dua Mall and the Mangga Dua Center for the flooding. They say the developers are pumping groundwater onto the street. (32)