TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Flood survivors take on Jakarta administration in class action lawsuit

Based on a report released by the advocacy team — which asked Jakartans to email the losses they had incurred because of the massive flooding — the losses from 243 verified reports amounted to Rp 43.32 billion.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Tue, January 14, 2020

Share This Article

Change Size

Flood survivors take on Jakarta administration in class action lawsuit Representatives from the 2020 Jakarta Flood Victims Advocacy Team file a class action lawsuit with the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday. Some 243 flood victims filed complaints against the Jakarta governor for his administration's failure to anticipate the severe flooding that hit Greater Jakarta over New Year, which caused Rp 43 billion (US$ 3.13 million) in damage. The massive floods in Greater Jakarta and Banten claimed at least 60 lives and displaced thousands of people. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

D

uring the massive flooding that swept Jakarta over the New Year, Suminem Patmoswito, 60, lost hundreds of millions of rupiah worth of valuables, quite apart from the loss of income from not being able to operate her small grocery stall after her house in Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta was submerged by floodwater.  

Suminem had to flee to her rooftop where she did not eat for an entire day because help was not available. She distributed what food she had among her neighbors using make-shift equipment as it was impossible for her to get around the streets of the flooded neighborhood.

A little over a week after the disaster struck, she stood as a representative of South Jakarta’s flood victims along with the 2020 Jakarta Flood Victims Advocacy Team and four other victims, each representing one of Jakarta’s regions, to file a class action lawsuit against the Jakarta administration for failing to protect citizens from a supposedly preventable disaster.

“My hope is for there to be [more] attention paid to people on the ground. Please visit and ask the residents so that you [Governor Anies Baswedan] will know for yourself,” said Suminem on Monday at the Central Jakarta District Court, adding that the demand for compensation was necessary so that she could work again and support her 74-year-old husband and their children.

Another representative of flood survivors from Cengkareng, West Jakarta, Juwita Sri Agustina, said she did not have access to sanitary facilities for two days because clean water was not available. In addition to that, the electricity went off for days and did not return until Jan. 4, Juwita noted.

“I am asking the governor to focus more on his duty. Regardless of whether [I] chose him or not, I am a citizen of Jakarta and I also have the right to [demand] the governor work for the betterment of the people,” said the 50-year-old who lives with five others, including her paralyzed mother, in a house that was flooded during the first few days of January.

Kelapa Gading resident Melilly Sabe, 55, who stood as a representative of North Jakarta’s flood victims, claimed the New Year flood caught her off guard and her family was shocked at having to endure such massive flooding in a short time following the downpours that began on New Year’s Eve and lasted through to the next day. She claimed to have lost up to Rp 300 million (US$21,959) worth of valuables.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Flood survivors take on Jakarta administration in class action lawsuit

Rp 29,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 29,000
{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.