Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (tempo.co)

Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama has said that many parts of the city are now ready to face the rainy season; exceptions include Kampung Pulo in East Jakarta and Bukit Duri in South Jakarta.

'€œWe are ready to face the rainy season. But Buki Duri and Kampung Pulo will still be inundated if the rainy season reaches a peak in December,'€ Ahok said in Jakarta on Saturday as reported by kompas.com.

Hundreds of households were relocated in August to low-cost apartments from the banks of the Ciliwung River in Kampung Pulo, Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta. The area, Ahok, was still vulnerable to flooding, as flood mitigation projects remained incomplete. Meanwhile, residents of Bukit Duri, whose houses were also on the Ciliwung River, are now awaiting relocation.

However, Ahok said that Jakarta would be more prepared to face flooding than last year, and that floodwater would quickly recede because of better flood mitigation projects this year. '€Yes, there will be flooding, but it will not last longer than 12 hours,'€ he said.

A number of parts of Jakarta were inundated when heavy rain hit the city on Friday. Based on information from the Jakarta Police, 10 to 30 centimeters of water inundated many roads, leading to heavy traffic on Friday night.

The inundated roads included Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta, Jl. Fatmawati in South Jakarta, Jl. Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta and the Cawang toll road in East Jakarta.

The inundation on Jl. Gato Subroto, the governor said, was down to a fiber optic project that blocked drainage in the area.

He added that garbage blocking drains was another major cause of flooding. '€œIt is the fault of miscreants who drop litter anywhere they please. Please, don'€™t litter. Just keep it in your cars,'€ he urged. (bbn)

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