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.