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.