'We're all responsible for the floods'

'We're all responsible for the floods'

The Jakarta flood and disaster mitigation task force recorded the
number of flood victims in temporary shelters across the city has
reached up to 20,000, and two people died in the flood that has
inundated the capital over the past few days. The Jakarta Post
asked residents who should be responsible for the recurring
floods.

Lita, 27, works for a foreign company in Jakarta. She lives
with her family in Kalibata, South Jakarta:

The continuous flooding in Jakarta shows that the government
and city administration fail to provide people with better
housing.

They both have the authority and funds to relocate people to
higher places and to establish a system to prevent flooding from
recurring, but the problem lies in the corruptive bureaucracy
where particular officials prioritized their personal interests
without considering the public's misery.

The government's failure is one thing, however, the lack of
public participation and awareness are another cause as to why we
can't deal with the floods properly.

If people keep throwing garbage everywhere or building houses
along the riverbanks, we will surely experience floods every
year.

Hamidah, 43, is a caterer in Senen, Central Jakarta. She lives
with her husband and three children in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta:

We never think about the flood until it occurs. We do things
in the dry season that can cause flooding when the rainy days
come.

I have seen people throw garbage in the gutters or rivers
because that is the easiest and the cheapest way to get rid of
their garbage. But when it rains, they start to complain and
blame others.

I think residents like us, as well as businesspeople, who
continue to build malls and buildings and the city administration
who is incapable of preventing floods with their policies, are
all responsible for the floods. But I believe that we should stop
blaming each other and start behaving properly. --The Jakarta Post