T

he Jakarta administration reported that more than 900 residents who were affected by recent flooding in the city last week had suffered from influenza and skin rashes.

The City Health Agency said it had treated a total of 935 residents between Monday and Saturday last week.

Agency chief Dien Emmawati said that the affected residents received medical treatment at medical posts set up in flooded areas. “The ailments are common due to extended exposure to standing water,” Dien said on Saturday.

Medical posts were immediately set up at areas vulnerable to prolonged inundation. The medical treatments were given for free at 35 posts set up in East, West and South Jakarta, with a total of 115 medical personnel deployed.

“Our personnel will stay until the areas are totally free from flooding,” Dien said.

Torrential rain in upstream and downtown areas early last week led to overflowing rivers in four municipalities, sending water flooding into a number of major traffic access points and suburban areas.

Among the residential areas inundated were located in Ulujami, Pesanggrahan, Bintaro and Pondok Labu in South Jakarta; Cijantung, Kampung Melayu, Cililitan, Cawang, Bidara Cina and Kali Sari in East Jakarta; and Kedoya Selatan, Duri Kosambi, Rawa Buaya and Cengkareng in West Jakarta.

The administration recorded that the inundation affected more than 7,000 people

Separately, Arfan Arkili, the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) chief, said that flood water had begun to recede on Friday.

“Officials of the health agency, the local subdistrict offices and the local public health centers have been deployed to help residents clean their neighborhood and homes from mud and garbage brought by the flood,” Arfan said.

The BPBD is campaigning for the use of disinfectants by residents for cleaning their houses. “This is important to prevent the spread of water-borne contagious diseases,” Arfan said.

He said the agency would keep helping the affected to clean their houses until the end of the inundation.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that unexpected torrential rain last week was normal during the transition period from the rainy to dry season.

The weather agency said that the peak of the rainy season occurred in January and February.

Jakartans, however, can expect rain to continue for the next two months, but there will be less likelihood of torrential intensity. During the period, light to heavy rain will likely fall, mostly in the afternoon.