Abian Syam, 22, a resident, said that flooding happened frequently in the neighborhood because it used to be a cultivated area that acted as an artificial catchment.

“There used to be paddy fields that absorbed [runoff], but now it has been turned into a housing complex. Flooding has often occurred since then,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

He recalled that in 2017, under then-governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the city administration had pledged to build a reservoir in Ciracas to address the flooding. Ciracas residents had heard nothing more about the plan since Anies Baswedan was elected the Jakarta governor.

“We’ve elevated the ground by 30 centimeters, but it still takes four to five hours for the floodwaters to recede,” said Abian.

Meanwhile, Apoy called on the city administration to build a canal to aid drainage, if it was too difficult to build a reservoir.

“Even if it is just a small canal, at least it would be something to prevent the [runoff],” said the 45-year-old resident.

Another resident, 50-year-old Laras, concurred while adding that the frequent flooding brought a variety of problems to the residents' lives

“[When it floods], we have to move our belongings to a higher level. We also have to keep watch over our children so that they don't play in the floodwaters,” she said. (vla)

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