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Blackout causes citywide disorder
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Stranded commuter line passengers wait patiently after the city's train system was brought to a standstill following a major blackout in Greater Jakarta on Sunday. (JP/PJ. Leo)
A citywide blackout on Sunday threw Jakarta into disarray, disrupting traffic, communications and businesses.
Traffic lights all over the city ceased to operate, causing severe traffic congestion, while electricity-powered commuter line and MRT trains were brought to a halt, forcing passengers to disembark and walk to the nearest station.
Road intersections also fell into disorganization in many places, with police not available to manage the flow of traffic.
With power out in homes across the city, people sought temporary refuge in soon-to-be overcrowded malls.
“Ciputat [in South Tangerang] to Pondok Indah Mall [in South Jakarta] took two hours, traffic everywhere, dysfunctional traffic lights, PIM parking full, mall looks like a market #matilampu [blackout],” wrote Twitter user @mahadmadika.
Many crucial services were also rendered inactive by the blackout.
ATMs were out of operation and restaurants were forced to close, causing mass inconvenience.
#matilampu #jakartablackout I must admit, I'm panicking a lot. I'm a cashless guy, this is nightmare. I have no stockpile of anything. So far I can only find 1 working ATM in 10 km radius. Restaurants and markets are closing or not accepting card payments.
— Henry (@henrydjunaedi) August 4, 2019
Netizens accustomed to cashless payments were forced to search out ATMs to withdraw cash, only to find that none were in operation.
In addition, many people also experienced large-scale communication troubles with slow signals and internet disruptions.
The blackout had an immediate impact the Indosat Ooredoo network.
“Due to the disturbance caused by the blackout, around 10 percent of the network was affected, causing poor performance for users,” said Indosat Ooredoo head of corporate communications, Turina Farouk in a statement.
Gojek and Grab users also reportedly experienced difficulties accessing the app-based ride-hailing services.
Fortunately, the city’s airports continued to function normally. (tru)
