Not all consider flood a disaster

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.