Many areas remain deluged

Many areas remain deluged

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most of Jakarta's flood victims have returned home in relief
after days of huddling in evacuation camps. But as of Friday,
many people still unable to leave the shelters, as their
neighborhoods remained submerged by floodwaters.

At least 100,000 residents of four out of five subdistricts in
Penjaringan, North Jakarta, still could not return to their homes
because floods in their area had not receded.

The four subdistricts were Penjaringan, Pluit, Pejagalan and
Kapuk Muara. The water levels there were between 30 centimeters
and 150 centimeters deep.

The hardest-hit areas were Pluit, which is a wealthy area with
a local reputation as being home to "haves," and Penjaringan.

Exclusive housing complexes such as Pluit Karang Permai, Pluit
Karang Indah, Pluit Permai, and Pluit Sakti, were seen deserted
by their residents.

Omen, a security guards at Pluit Karang Permai, said that the
residents had left since the flooding began a week ago. "They
have gone left to live in hotels -- that's what they told me
before leaving," he said.

The Pluit Mega Mall was also surrounded by the flood; no
vehicles, except trucks, could enter the area.

The Pejagalan subdistrict office was swamped beneath one meter
of water.

Deputy chief of Penjaringan district, Usmayadi, said that the
district was surrounded by three rivers which had flooded their
banks -- Muara in the west, Flood Canal in the center, and Krukut
in the East.

The floodwater level remained high in these areas due to the
overflowing of the Pluit reservoir, the last destination of the
Krukut river. The water pump at the reservoir was unable to pump
out sufficient amounts of the water.

"The overflowing of the Muara and Krukut rivers was dealt with
as the river surged straight toward the sea -- but the
overflowing of the Krukut river was more difficult to handle, as
it flows toward the water reservoir before going into the sea,"
said Usmayudi.

He added that the water pump at the reservoir started to work
only on Friday due to power failure.

The district received an extra nine water pumps from the
city's Public Works Agency on Thursday to help remove the water;
they could not be used on arrival, however, since their pipes
were not available.

If all of the pumps worked, Usmayudi predicted that the flood
could recede in four to five days.

"I admit that we have had difficulties in providing a long-
distance pipe. We actually have our own pipes, but their length
was just too short. We need longer pipes to prevent destruction
of the dike, as the strong currents could erode the dike
construction, altogether," added Usmayudi.

While residents in the district struggled to stop the flood,
the district chief, Setiabudi Supardan, left for Saudi Arabia on
Friday to conduct the one-month holy pilgrimage.

The latest report on the flood spots issued by the city
administration's Center of Crisis Control showed that there were
still 11 flooded subdistricts in four mayoralties.

They included Kalibata, Bukit Duri, and Pancoran subdistrict
in South Jakarta; Kampung Melayu, Jatinegara, and Cipinang Besar
Selatan in East Jakarta; and Jembatan Lima, Pekojan, Roa Malaka,
and Tambora in West Jakarta. The water level in those areas have
reached 200 centimeters.

The Tambora district secretary, Idris Priyatna, explained that
the flooding in her area had not subsided because of the
overflowing of the Cideng, Krukut, and Besar rivers -- all of
which passed through the center of the district.