"The floodwaters reached heights of between 50 and 100 centimeters," according to Sudiarno, a member of the Kampung Melayu Sub-district-based Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), who observed the affected areas on Friday morning.
Even as the Jakarta provincial administration constantly endeavors to contain the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), flooding has inundated the neighborhood area, inhabited by some 300 families, though not leading to the displacement of local residents.
"No one has taken refuge. We have prepared social assistance packages at the village office that we utilize as a temporary shelter," he remarked, adding that downpour in the areas of Bogor City and Bogor District, West Java, had further aggravated the overflowing of Ciliwung River.
Early this year, floods had severely inundated certain areas in the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, and its outskirts. The catastrophe had claimed tens of lives and displaced several hundred residents.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded that on January 3, 2020, the death toll from floods and landslides that hit greater Jakarta and Banten had reached 46, while 173,064 had sought refuge in safe places.
At that time, flooding had submerged a wide range of areas in various sub-districts in the provinces of Jakarta, West Java, and Banten, the agency's spokesman, Agus Wibowo, stated.
The flash floods, caused by high-intensity rainfall for several days, swamped several areas of 18 sub-districts in Bekasi District, 17 sub-districts in Jakarta, and 13 sub-districts in Bogor District and Tangerang City respectively.
Consequently, floodwaters, submerging houses, led to the forced displacement of 149,537 residents of Bekasi City in West Java Province. They were accommodated at 97 temporary shelters, while 11,474 Jakartans also took refuge and stayed at 66 temporary shelters.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
