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'Some people feel the rain, others just get wet', first downpour in Jakarta gets mixed reactions
The Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded that 15 locations were inundated by floodwater, namely in Cawang, Balekambang, Kampung Melayu, and Bidara Cina in East Jakarta and Kebon Baru, East Pejaten, and Pangedegan in South Jakarta.
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People living on Jl. Kebon Pala II in Makassar, East Jakarta, clean mud and trash brought by floodwater on Oct. 9. (JP/Sausan Atika/JP/Sausan Atika)
“Happiness is the first rains after a long, dry spell,” may ring true for people who basked in the cool breeze when rainfall finally touched Greater Jakarta on Tuesday evening. But not everyone feels the same.
Rizki Ananda, 27, who lives in Tanjung Barat, welcomed the rain as water buckets in her family home had been practically empty for the last several months amid the prolonged dry season that started around July.
“Alhamdulillah [thank God] I’m so happy because it has been very difficult to get water at home lately,” she told The Jakarta Poston Wednesday.
She hopes the rain will continue and elevate the groundwater level in the area because the jet pump at her house was being used far longer than desired, sometimes up to 18 hours a day.
“Such circumstances moderately increase the electricity bill,” the private employee said.
A similar opinion was conveyed by Muhroni, who lives in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta. He referred to the rain on Tuesday as a blessing.
“Finally, rain has come after weeks of sweltering heat. You know this residential area is in the city center, so it's a blessing to feel cooler air after the rain,” she said.
