Market Traders in Cipulir Exhausted by Seven Floods in a Year

Flooding struck Pasar Cipulir in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, on Saturday night (2/5/2026). Although the water volume only reached 15 centimetres, it compelled traders who had already gone home to return and salvage their merchandise. According to them, the market has flooded up to seven times since the beginning of 2025 through to 2026. In the midst of dark, empty corridors with 15 cm puddles, traders were seen lifting items from their stalls to higher ground. Even though the stalls are constructed higher than the market floor, the traders noted that water enters quickly and becomes trapped in the market during rain. “If we’re late, the water rises before we know it; in just an hour, it’s full. So, whenever it starts raining, we just lift (the merchandise) using sacks to the top of the stairs,” said one trader, Syaiful (36), at the location on Saturday. At the start of the fasting month, flooding hit the market in the early hours when no traders had arrived yet. Textile-based goods were submerged. Traders had to dip into their pockets to clean the clothing merchandise so it could still be sold. “Yesterday, two to three dozen got soaked. Praise be, they could still be saved at the laundry. But yes, the costs multiply because laundry fees add up. In the end, it’s a loss,” said Syaiful. Even worse, according to Syaiful, was the case of the trader in the adjacent stall, where 50 dozen gamis worth Rp 100,000 each were ruined by the flood. That trader had to swallow a deep loss. Having traded at Pasar Cipulir for a year, trader Miran (37) admitted to being fed up with facing floods. His shop has been inundated seven times in a year.