Now the people of that kelurahans have been saved from floods."Jakarta, Sept 30 (Antara) - The Jakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) said the capital city has succeeded in reducing cases of flooding this year.
"Until August this year there were 700 cases of flooding in Jakarta. The number was smaller than 889 cases in the same period last year," head of the executive unit of the regional BPBD Denny Wahyu Haryanto said here on Friday.
Denny said 66 kelurahans (villages), earlier always beset by flooding, have been free from floods this year.
"Last year the 66 kelurahans especially Petamburan and Kampung Pulo were still submerged under flood waters in rainy season. Now the people of that kelurahans have been saved from floods," he said.
Kampung Pulo and Petamburan were among the worst hit by floods every year, but this year they are saved from the disaster, he said.
Deny attributed the success in coping flood disasters in some areas in Jakarta to normalization of water flows in the city rivers.
The city administration has evicted thousands of squatting families from riverbanks in Jakarta forcing them to move to other places or low cost apartment houses provided by the city administration.
The policy of the city administration in forcing long squatters from riverbank slums has triggered controversy.
The controversy is sharper and become a political issue raised by rivals to contest the forthcoming gubernatorial election in February next year.
Based on data at the Jakarta BPBD, the city is made up of 267 kelurahans and 108 of them are prone to flooding every years.
This year only 37 of the 108 kelurahans still are beset by flooding. Other kelurahans including those in the Thousand islands in the Jakarta Bay, have always been safe from flooding.
Kelurahan is the lowest level of government administration areas.
BPBD noted that cases of flooding tended to move to South Jakarta this year from North Jakarta, West Jakarta and East Jakarta.
(Uu.H-ASG/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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