Parts of Jakarta flooded after rain

Parts of Jakarta flooded after rain

JAKARTA (JP): Heavy rains poured down on part of the city on Saturday, flooding hundreds of houses and causing traffic jams in a number of areas.

Among the hard hit by the two-hour rain was Sukabumi Udik district in West Jakarta, and its neighbor Cipulir district in South Jakarta.

On Jl. Panjang, water inundated part of the street close to a local mosque, forcing traffic to move at a snail's pace.

"It took me two hours from nearby Gang Mangga," said a young man selling prawn crackers in a huge container mounted on his bike.

The traffic jam was made worse by the inaccessibility to the vital Jl. Pos Pengumben for motorists from both Cileduk and Kebun Jeruk areas to Kebayoran Lama due to major bridge repairs.

Motorists were forced to take alternative routes but most, including Jl. Haji Daud, Jl. M. Tohir and Jl. Pahlawan, were partly submerged in floodwater.

"It has always been like this. Every time it rains hard, all these roads are inundated and the traffic is in chaos," a resident said.

Strong currents of rainwater, apparently a spillover from the nearby Sekretaris River, cut across Jl. Haji Daud and Jl. M. Tohir. Residents came out of their houses as soon as the rain subsided while many school children walked along the streets in wet uniforms.

The continuous stream of water became a source of joy to both children and adults, especially when motorists tried to steer their way through the deep water only to have their engines go dead.

A number of cars and motorcycles had engine trouble but many had to stop dead in the middle of the traffic as there was no space to park them due to the narrow streets.

Children were apparently overjoyed at the scene, oblivious to the fact that the water had actually inundated hundreds of houses, including slums and middle-class houses in the district.

The rain also inundated part of Taman Alfa Indah housing estate in Joglo. (hbk)