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Jakarta's 'flood control' under fire as thousands displaced
The people of Jakarta are voicing their frustrations over the city's seeming lack of capability in flood management and control, while it remains to be seen whether a new "flood management committee" will focus on the urgency of the task at hand – or sustain the administration's habit of bickering over blame.
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Jl. Gunung Sahari Raya in Central Jakarta is submerged in floodwaters on the morning of Feb. 25, 2020. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he frequent heavy inundation caused by extreme rainfall and river floods across Jakarta since New Year’s Eve has raised questions about the city's flood management capacity.
Floodwaters in several areas of the capital Jakarta had just begun to recede on Monday morning, but heavy rains again battered the city overnight to cause mild to severe flooding on Tuesday morning that paralyzed traffic on several major streets.
According to PetaBencana.id, which provides real-time flood information, 87 areas across the city had reported floods by 8:53 a.m. on Feb. 25.
With Tuesday's flooding, several Commuter train lines and Transjakarta bus routes serving Greater Jakarta have been disrupted for two consecutive days. Several major train stations were closed on Tuesday due to the flooding, including Gambir Station and Sudirman Station.
Authorities temporarily halted the odd-even traffic policy on Tuesday. However, several toll roads were flooded, leaving commuters to use regular streets that contributed to severe traffic jams during the morning rush hour.
The two consecutive days of floods has forced at least 2,393 people, or 682 families, to flee their homes since Monday, according to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan tweeted on Monday that the city had undertaken measures to anticipate flooding, “by cleaning gutters, dredging drainage systems, checking water pumps and installing infiltration wells in several areas”.
