Water inundates 60 spots in the capital city
Water inundates 60 spots in the capital city
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The city was again hit by floods on Monday as the water
inundated at least 60 spots in its five mayoralties, with a water
level of up to 150 centimeters in places.
Two subdistricts in West Jakarta - Kedoya Utara and Tanjung
Duren Utara - were among the most severely affected areas.
Some 70 families in Kedoya Utara were evacuated as their
houses were almost completely submerged.
The families were put up in two elementary schools, SDN 9 and
SDN 10, and classes were temporarily halted due to the flooded
roads near the school with a water level reaching 70 centimeters
in places.
"We had to send home some 1,000 students, from two schools,
due to the flood. The residents who live nearby then made use of
the place as their temporary shelter," said Suharno, a school
teacher.
The condition of the evacuees was not good as the school "was
far from hygienic." Moreover, the flood victims were short of
food and medicine.
"Tell the city administration to have pity on us, we need
immediate help with medicine and food," said Aminah, a housewife
who is eight months pregnant.
Sutikno Sadeli, one of the neighborhood heads, said that water
started to rise in the area on Saturday at 11 p.m. following a
heavy downpour that deluged the neighborhood three hours earlier.
"People have been sheltering in these classrooms for two
nights and days already. Some are suffering from diarrhea and
skin problems," he complained.
"The subdistrict office has only provided us with 25 kilograms
of rice and two boxes of instant noodles for 160 families (in my
neighborhood), which is far from adequate," said Sutikno, who
heads neighborhood 14.
Many families also had babies and toddlers with them. One of
the babies was sent to Sumber Waras hospital in West Jakarta on
Sunday night due to severe diarrhea.
The city health office had earlier warned of the outbreak of
diarrhea during the floods.
A continuous stream of residents was seen walking towards the
school carrying their belongings, such as mattresses, clothes,
and even stoves.
The residents also built a public kitchen.
According to Sutikno, the last time his neighborhood was hit
by a flood of this magnitude was in 1996.
Kedoya Utara was excluded from the list of flood-prone areas,
that was drawn up by the Center for Alleviation of Social
Tension, the agency charged with helping flood victims.
The agency reported to Governor Sutiyoso on Monday that there
were 59 trouble spots in the city, with two areas reportedly
under 120 centimeters of water, Tanjung Duren Utara subdistrict
and Tegal Parang subdistrict in South Jakarta.
According to the report, there were 19 flooded areas in
Central Jakarta, eight in North Jakarta, 10 in West Jakarta, 16
in South Jakarta and six in East Jakarta, with the water levels
of between 10 centimeters and 120 centimeters.
In Tanjung Duren Utara subdistrict, when The Jakarta Post
visited the area on Monday morning, the water level was at least
130 centimeters.
Abdul Hasan, a resident, said the flood started at 2 a.m. on
Monday, and at the same time there was an electricity failure.
Apparently the state electricity company deliberately shut
down the power in order to avoid accidents of electrocution. Such
an incident reportedly took one life in Tangerang on Monday.
On Jl. Tanjung Duren Barat, three trucks had engine trouble
due to high water levels, while some 30 bajaj (motorized
pedicabs) were also submerged in water.
Although many Tanjung Duren residents had not received any
food or medical assistance, the subdistrict office had given them
two rubber boats for evacuation and transportation.