Not all consider flood a disaster

Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To the residents of a slum in Manggarai, South Jakarta, the floods that inundate their houses each year during the rainy season are considered more of a tradition than a catastrophe.

Helping each other to move belongings and furniture, cooking and eating together at the makeshift public kitchen while their children play in the water, is an excitement to these people whose houses are located on the banks of the Ciliwung river.

All seem well aware of the risks of residing in the area, where some have built their kitchen only a meter away from the water, and accept the floods as a part of life.

"The flooding does not depress us, it's like a yearly tradition ... we usually have lots of fun and laughter during that time," said Wahyuningsih, whose house is commonly used as a shelter by her neighbors.

As much as they enjoy it, of course, none of them really look forward to the annual deluge, she said, as it also brings inconvenience.

"We dread having to clean our homes from the mud and other things the water brings in ... sometimes our place is inundated several times, meaning that we have to clean up each time the water subsides," she added, while her neighbors nodded in agreement.

The worst case of flooding in their area was in 1996 when houses were almost underwater with the exception of the roof. Nowadays, the floods, which normally reach knee-high, occur when it is raining heavily in Bogor.

Another resident, Ngadimun Hadisuwito, built an attic in anticipation of the flood. There he would keep his valuables and pet pigeons, while his family of seven would move temporarily to the mosque.

He too, no longer felt burdened by the flooding, as he realized that if he wished to live comfortably he would have to move to another location.

"But where would we move to? I don't have the money to move and build a new house," said Ngadiman, who sells fried snacks at the nearby market.

"I'm glad that my neighbors are helpful in times of trouble. Probably it is because we are all in the same predicament, we understand each other's situation," he told The Jakarta Post.

As a result of the routine flooding, the residents are now able to anticipate the floods by observing the river.

"When we see the river water flowing rapidly we prepare ourselves for the flood," said Siti Nurkomala, whose kitchen, which is only a meter away from the water, has been swept away by the flood about three times now.

According to the community chief, Alamsyah, as many as 500 people are seriously affected by the flood each year. Yet none have any intention of moving, due to financial constraints.

The residents, Alamsyah said, were mostly construction workers and vendors at the nearby Rumput market.

"I once heard that the city administration planned to reallocate us, but most of us have been living here for several generations," he commented.