Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri criticized parents who had allowed their children to beg in the streets for aid following floods in the capital city, Jakarta.

"Please do not ask children to beg for help in the streets," he said while visiting a command post for flood victims in Binawan Cawang, East Jakarta, on Saturday.

He pointed out that the streets are not safe places for children because of the large number of cars passing through them, which created the potential for accidents involving the children.

He noted that his office had already provided emergency-response assistance to flood victims in the city.

He explained that a total of Rp4.5 billion had been allocated to buffer stocks to deal with the floods in the city.

This amount will be distributed to all evacuation centers spread out over 44 villages in 25 sub-districts, where a total of 25,276 families, or 94,624 people, have been affected.

Devastating floods have inundated many locations over the past few days, paralysing the capital city. Several locations are still under water, but the water has begun to recede in many areas.

(KR-BSR/H-YH)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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