REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla has urged the public to participate in efforts to prevent flooding in Jakarta along with the government.
"Yes, it certainly is an issue for the governor to tackle. He should work harder, but people must also put in efforts to prevent floods," Kalla said here on Monday (9/2).
The vice president also reminded the governor to encourage and involve the community to resolve the problem of flooding.
"Everyone should maintain cleanliness. It is the most effective method they can adopt," he stated.
The government's efforts to cope with floods will not be effective unless people also help prevent them, Kalla remarked.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has affirmed that incessant rainfall since Sunday has left the city of Jakarta flooded.
"The municipalities of central, north and west Jakarta have been hit the worst by the floods," spokesman for the BNPB, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, stated here on Monday.
Water at the Karet sluice gate had reached a height of 630 centimeters at noon, which means it had reached the highest emergency alert status level I.
Among the places affected by the floods in Central Jakarta were the Tanah Abang Railway Station, Jati Baru, and Petamburan; Jati Pinggir, JPO antara Roxy, and Latumenten were inundated in West Jakarta; and in North Jakarta, Teluk Gong, Kapuk, and Muara Angke were hit by floodwaters.
"The level of water at a number of sluice gates of rivers has increased. At the Katulampa sluice gate, it reached 80 centimeters (alert status level III) at noon; at the Manggarai sluice gate, it was 800 centimeters (alert III) at 11 a.m. and 825 centimeters (siaga III) at noon," he informed.
Water at the sluice gate in Pasar Ikan reached a height of 208 centimeters (alert II), and at the Pluit sluice gate, water level rose by 30 centimeters.
Given these conditions, the floods could spread further, Nugroho pointed out, warning those living along the Ciliwung river basin area to stay alert for flash floods.
"The floods in Jakarta were not caused by overflowing rivers, but were a result of a poor drainage system and land spatial planning," he explained.
Furthermore, Governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok suspected that the flooding in the capital city was an act of sabotage.
"This morning, I woke up at 2 a.m. because of the rain. When I checked the CCTV camera footage, I found that the one in Istiqlal was off. I suspected that the palace was flooded and that it could be an act of sabotage or a deliberate action. All waterways were functioning well, so flooding should have been impossible," Ahok noted in his office, which was also inundated, on Monday.
Moreover, incessant downpours triggered floods in at least 49 locations in Jakarta, according to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD).
"The heavy rainfall, which began Sunday evening and continued till this morning, inundated 49 locations throughout Jakarta," Bambang Suryaputra of the BPBD confirmed here on Monday.
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