Residents stick by riverbank despite floods

Residents stick by riverbank despite floods

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Abdul Halim, a resident living on a banks of the Ciliwung river
in Kampung Melayu sub-district, East Jakarta was swept some three
kilometers downstream by floodwaters when huge floods hit the
capital in 2002.

"I was discovered by residents among piles of garbage near the
Manggarai flood gate (in South Jakarta). Thank God I am still
alive now," said Abdul, who claims to be 102 years old.

His neighbors said that Abdul, whose wife and two children
live in Serang, Banten, was swept away in floodwaters together
with his simple hut made of scraps of plastic, plywood, wire,
planks of wood and rope collected from the river and other areas.

The 2002 floods affected nearly two-thirds of Jakarta's 650-
square kilometer territory, killing over 30 people, forcing
nearly 350,000 people to flee their homes and damaging a large
part of the city's infrastructure.

Riverbank areas in Kampung Melayu are listed among places that
are frequently hit by floods in the city. This year alone, they
have been hit by floods twice -- in February and March.

The Ciliwung river, the source of which begins in the Puncak
area, Bogor regency, is the longest river in the city. Floods in
the area are often caused by heavy rain in Bogor, with the
swelling river taking some eight hours to travel from Bogor to
Kampung Melayu.

Abdul, however, is not discouraged by his bitter experience.
Just days after the flood subsided, he immediately erected his
shanty on the riverbank again, this time even closer to the
river.

He also refused to return to his wife in Serang, Banten, where
his two children also live.

"Why should I fear the flood. I will die when it is my time to
die. God knows when I will die," said Abdul, who claimed that he
joined the country's fight for independence against the Dutch
colonial rulers in the 1940s.

Abdul collects and sells plastic sacks for a living. He
collects plastic sacks mostly from the Kampung Melayu market and
several shops in the surrounding area.

Abdul is only one of some 5,000 residents living along the
banks of Ciliwung river in Kampung Melayu. Many of their
makeshift houses even hang over the river, where they bathe,
defecate, do their laundry and dump their garbage.

Ajat, 43, another resident of the Ciliwung riverbank, said
that people in the area have already learned to live with floods.

"Floods are not a big problem for us because eight hours
before the water comes, officials from the subdistrict office
inform us that floodwaters are coming. Then we prepare to
evacuate," he said, adding that many usually take their
belongings to temporary shelters, while others keep them on the
second floor of their houses.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) has announced that
the Greater Jakarta area is entering the rainy session. It means
that residents of Kampung Melayu as well as other areas in the
city should prepare for possible floods.

East Jakarta Mayor Koesnan Abdul Halim confirmed the situation
in Kampung Melayu, saying that while residents in other areas
were concerned about their fate, those living along the Ciliwung
riverbank were not really bothered by floods.

"Many of them often ignore warnings from members of the rescue
team, who tell them to immediately leave their houses. Many of
them stay on the roof of their houses when the flood comes," he
said.

"They are happy if the governor visits them and they begin
asking for many things from him," the mayor said, adding that for
many people there, the floods are considered a blessing as it
means that they would get free food.

Ajat, however, refuted the mayor's statement. According to
him, people living on the riverbank have no other place to stay.
He also said that many people choose to stay there as the area is
located close to their workplace and there is transportation
available to almost every area in the capital.

"Many people prefer to live here although they must evacuate
at least twice a year," said Ajat, who runs a small kiosk in
front of his simple house to earn a living.