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.