Most of Cipinang, Bekasi swamped

Most of Cipinang, Bekasi swamped

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite very little rain over the weekend in Jakarta, the swollen
Krukut and Sunter rivers burst their banks and flooded thousands
of houses in the Cipinang area of East Jakarta, to a level of two
meters in some neighborhoods, forcing the residents to flee their
homes.

The most affected areas were in Cipinang Indah I and II
housing complexes, community unit RW 3 in Pondok Bambu
subdistrict and community unit RP 14 in Cipinang Muara
subdistrict.

Two people also were reported drowned in the swollen Cipinang
river on Sunday afternoon.

The first victim was identified as Sobirin, 25, a resident of
Cipinang Melayu subdistrict, who apparently slipped into the
swift-moving river and was found dead downstream.

Meanwhile, 12-year-old boy, Sonny, from Cipinang Besar Utara
subdistrict, had not yet been found, but locals said they saw the
boy in the water and strongly suspected that he had drowned.

Officers from Jatinegara police, East Jakarta, and a rescue
team were still searching for the boy.

Meanwhile, at the Cipinang Indah I housing complex, Andi, a
resident, said there was only a light rain on Saturday evening.

"But starting at 4 a.m., the floodwaters began to inundated
our houses and reached up to a range of between 60 centimeters to
over a meter high by 1 p.m. The water has not subsided," he said
on Sunday evening.

A resident of Pondok Bambu subdistrict, Ikhrom, said that the
houses located near the right bank of the Sunter were swamped by
water reaching a level of two meters in some areas.

The East Jakarta fire department lent the Pondok Bambu
residents two rubber dinghies to evacuate.

A staff member at the city's flood mitigation crisis center
gave very little information on whether plans were in the works
to help the flood victims, saying only that, "the officials are
now in discussions."

He speculated that the rising water level was due to heavy
rain up river in Puncak and Bogor on Saturday.

In 1967, Cipinang was designated by the then governor Ali
Sadikin for a reservoir as part of the East Flood Canal, as it
lies in on very low land. However, the next governor
Tjokropranolo inexplicably sold the area to developers who
converted it into a densely populated housing area.

In Bekasi, east of Jakarta, the worst flooding was reported in
Nasio housing complex in South Bekasi where water reached up to
two meters.