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A fortnight after floods, Bekasi residents still clearing mud from homes
The Pondok Gede Permai housing complex was built on low-lying land that once held rice paddies and a swamp.
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Murniasih, 40, stands in front of her house on Jan. 14, 2020 in the Pondok Gede Permai housing complex in Bekasi. The first floor is still unusable, although she has been cleaning for nearly two weeks since torrential rains caused widespread flooding in Greater Jakarta and Banten province on Jan. 1. (JP/Alya Nurbaiti)
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wo weeks after major flooding hit Greater Jakarta on New Year's Day, people have yet to resume their daily activities in Jatiasih district, Bekasi, which continues to battle the mud residue left behind.
Mud residue five to 20 centimeters deep still covers some road sections in the district's Pondok Gede Permai housing complex, where daily activities have been at a standstill for the last two weeks.
Dudung, a baker and the head of neighborhood unit (RT) 1 in the complex, said he had not been able to bake or sell bakery goods since the flood.
“I think other people who don’t work from home like I do are a little luckier. Every day is cleaning day for me,” said the 45-year-old baker on Tuesday.
“Thankfully, there are always people from I don’t know where who distribute food,” he added.
Dudung and many other residents are still dependent on food aid, even though they have returned to their homes.
Many local residents were spotted on Jan. 14 sloshing through the mud in boots, while firefighters pumped high-pressure water to clear the mud-filled gutters. At least two small backhoes were seen excavating residual mud in the area.
