Traffic jams and the rains

Traffic jams and the rains

From Pelita

Every time it rains in Jakarta there are tremendous traffic
jams. The afternoon of Tuesday Oct. 15 was a case in point.

If nothing is done, nothing will change. Do we have to put up
with traffic jams every time it rains? What a pointless waste of
time and energy!

Nobody seems to understand why these past few years the
situation has worsened. A few years ago the rain did not trigger
traffic jams.

I think bad drainage is one of the main causes of the
excessive water on the roads. So why are the drains not dredged?
Does it depend on the will of the related public works agencies?

There may be another cause. Many water catchment areas do not
exist any more. Former swamps now support high rise buildings
like the area around Hotel Indonesia.

The related public works agencies should map water-absorption
areas so that they are not used for construction.

SITI FATIMAH

Jakarta