The Kapten Tendean road connecting Mampang and Pancoran neighborhoods heading to Prapanca and Kebayoran Baru areas in South Jakarta could have also been driven through, South Jakarta Police Chief Sen.Coms.Azis Andriansyah said.
"Flood waters have receded in several areas, and drivers have been able to pass through several road sections, including the Kapten Tendean road," he said in WhatsApp conversation with local journalists here Sunday.
Before getting receded, the flood water inundated one-kilometer-long section of the Tendean road, ranging from 50 to 100 centimeters high.
As a result, both motorists and drivers could not pass through the road section, Andriansyah said.
According to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the extreme rainfall on Saturday inundated 193 community units (RT) in Jakarta, and forced 1,380 residents to flee their homes.
In assisting residents severely affected by the flooding, a joint team of police officers, including those from the South Jakarta police precinct, had been dispatched to disaster-hit areas on Saturday.
They conducted community services by distributing staple food packages and meal boxes to residents taking refuge to temporary shelters.
The National Police also deployed several inflatable boats to help evacuate residents whose houses were severely submerged, he said.
The cops from South Jakarta Metropolitan Police also helped distribute relief and food items to affected residents, and to several public kitchens locals set up in their neighborhoods, he said.
Over the past few weeks, the Jakarta provincial administration has been striving to prevent the capital city's administrative areas from getting flooded during this rainy season by, for instance, deploying river troops.
As part of the capital city's flood prevention measures, the Jakarta Water Department's river troops on February 8 removed 436 cubic meters of garbage from the Manggarai sluice gate, Kampung Melayu Bridge, and the Season City West Flood Canal.
Floods have posed a serious challenge to Jakarta governors and their administrations over the past few decades.
On October 5, 2020, for instance, more than 1,200 residents of East Jakarta's Kebon Pala area were affected by flooding after the Ciliwung River overflowed following torrential rains in Bogor, West Java.
In early 2020, flash floods triggered by high-intensity rainfall over several days had swamped several parts of 17 sub-districts of Jakarta as well as many other sub-districts in its metropolitan areas, including Bekasi and Bogor.
At least 46 people lost their lives in the floods, which also compelled 173,064 people residing in the Greater Jakarta areas to shift to safer ground, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
The Jakarta provincial government has continued to strive to deal with flooding-related problems.
Head of the Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda), Nasrudin Djoko Surjono, has earlier revealed that Jakarta's flood mitigation funds for 2021 would touch Rp4 trillion.
The provincial government is focusing its flood mitigation efforts in nine areas, including constructing vertical drainages, revitalizing the Ciliwung River in Pasar Baru area, as well as flood analysis and supporting information system, he added.
Related news: Public Works Minister readies long-term flood risk planning for Bekasi
Related news: Flooding hits 40 roads in Jakarta after heavy rains
Translator: Laily R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
