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)