Rain means pain for slum dwellers

Rain means pain for slum dwellers

Ida Indawati Khouw, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The rainy season has come again, which means one will have to
deal with the same problems all over again: potholes, leaks, a
heap of dirty laundry and worst of all, floods.

For those living in flood-prone areas, it means sleepless
nights. It's not only the fear that the water will flush their
belongings out, but sometimes, it can be the houses that are
washed away by the floodwaters.

"Once we saw a house floating in a flood. Our neighbor lost
his house during a big flood in Jakarta in 1996. Then, like
everyone here, we were taken to safer areas but when our neighbor
returned, his house was already gone," said M. Saib, 63, a long-
term resident of Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta living near the
banks of the Ciliwung river.

The jobless father of three had a "better" fate. His chickens
and other belongings were swept away but his semipermanent house
remained intact. Still, the former tempeh trader fell ill,
brooding over his financial loss.

Poor people like Saib, however, do not have the luxury of
choice, such as moving to a better part of the city.

Kampung Melayu is one of the city's flood-prone areas with
30 hectares of the total 47.83-hectare area declared as flood-
prone lands by the subdistrict office.

Thus, it is not a surprise that Kampung Melayu residents have
become used to the floods. "What else can we say. We live here,
it means we should adjust," Saib said.

According to the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency's forecast,
this year's rainy season -- which started on Oct. 3 and will
continue up to April next year for Jakarta and neighboring
Tangerang and Bogor -- will be normal, with heavy rainfall
expected in January or February.

"The rainfall level during the rainy season in Jakarta will be
between 1,721 mm and 2,360 mm for the whole season. It is still
normal," said the agency's spokesman Waan Tarmin.

Normal or not, for residents living in the flood-prone areas,
rain means bad news. Although it does not always rain heavily in
Jakarta, runoff from Bogor often inundates parts of the city here
due to the city's notoriously poor drainage system.

So far, the presence of flood control posts in Bogor and Depok
where information on predicted floods is sent to Manggarai flood
prevention post in Central Jakarta do not offer much help either;
the floodwaters still rush in.

Experienced residents know what to do. Whenever they receive
warning of the coming flood from the subdistrict office, they
immediately secure all their important belongings and documents
and stow them in higher places like the roof.

"Usually the flood will come six hours after the warning ...
We can't save all of our belongings. We leave the furniture that
would not be damaged by the flood, like iron beds or chairs,"
said another resident, 54-year-old Safriah whose semipermanent
house is located near the Ciliwung river.

When the flood comes, the water level might reach more than a
meter high, sometimes higher than their houses. Safriah and all
his neighbors then move to higher places like school buildings,
houses of worships or other public places where public donations
will be distributed.

Cleaning the house after the flood is of no use either since
another flood might take place the following day. As expected,
many of the residents fall sick after living in wet, muddy and
stinky houses for days.

"Usually, public health centers will be crowded with sick
people suffering from diarrhea, scratches, fever and other
ailments," said Rasanto, an official of Kampung Melayu
subdistrict office.

He said that about 10,000 of the subdistrict's 22,587
residents live in flood-prone areas. As a result, the subdistrict
is always in contact with the flood prevention post in Manggarai
and has two rubber dinghies for evacuation purposes.

According to an official at the Manggarai post, Riwud Padmadi,
Jakartans living in flood-prone areas should be on alert whenever
the water level at Depok post reaches 150 centimeters from the
normal 100 cm.

"If the water level stays constant at 150 cm for several
hours, or if it jumps to 200 cm or 250 cm, there will be floods
in Jakarta within the next six hours. At that time, we will open
the floodgate to minimize the flood's impact," Riwud said.

Not all subdistricts have officials who are always on alert in
case of flood.

Residents at Kaliangke subdistrict in West Jakarta always find
that floods rush in without any warning.

"Is there prior information given about floods?" asked a
housewife, Ibu Rasidi. "For years, floods have comes just like
that, without warning. We have no preparation whatsoever."

Is it possible to apply the flood prevention information
system in all areas?

According to Riwud, no. He said that his post was not
responsible for informing all districts about the predicted
flood. Under the present mechanism, his post should only report
to the public works agency and it is the agency that should
prepare the prevention system. "But officials at subdistrict
offices can be proactive in seeking information. There's nothing
wrong with that," he said.