Flood not just molests Jakarta but also greater Jakarta (Tangggerang, Bekasi, and Bogor). In Jakarta itself, water is flooded 70% of Jakarta”s area and paralyzing it. Up to Wednesday, even flood has subsided, there are still large areas flooded where there are even 1000 victims in Karawaci, Tanggerang who are wedged in the flood and have not received any aids.
The death number is increase since Sunday where until today, there are already 50 people who dead (in Jakarta and cities outer Jakarta) caused by the flood. Most of the victims are commonly dead for being drowned, carried by water or being shocked by the electricity where most of the victims is in East Jakarta (16 people), West Jakarta (7 people), Central Jakarta (3 people), North Jakarta (7 people), Tanggerang Regency (9 people), Tanggerang City (2 people), Bekasi City (2 people), and Bekasi Regency (4 people).
The number of refugees during the flood is reached to 392.164 people. Since the water has now subsided in some areas, some of refugees are now return to their homes and start to rehabilitate their home. Even the water has subsided, people are still worried since the Government Weather Agency has stated that up to February 12th, 2007, heavy rain is still predicted and flood might stream again.
From the number of refugees, 27.381 people are now infected by diseases like skin diseases, diarrhea, and breathing difficulties. They are being served in 224 health centre where 130 diarrhea cases are being treated in hospitals.
Impact of Flood on Public Services
Aside causing diseases, flood has also disconnecting public service circulation. Since the flood stream on Friday, February 1st 2007, electricity line, phone line and supply of clean water has not normal, yet.
In some areas, 2261 electrical relay station in Jakarta’s areas are still extinguished. According to the representatives of Government Electricity Company, those extinguished electrical relay station are stretch in four areas in Jakarta i.e., 1550 electrical relay station in Gambir (Central Jakarta), 100 unit in Kebayoran (South Jakarta), 177 unit in Tangerang, and 434 unit in Kramat Jati (Central Jakarta).
The same thing happens on phone line. Director of Government Telecommunication Company stated that there are 19 thousands of internet lines and around 70 thousands of phone lines connection which are disconnected. But since Wednesday, there are more than 50% of hampered lines are already recovered.
On the distribution of clean water supply, flood has caused roughly 70% of clean water customer could not access the service. Clean Water Company, PAM Lyonaisse Jaya (Palyja) Company and Thames PAM Jaya Company could not operate, optimally. Palyja company who own 350.230 customers could only served 22, 87% of its customers. Thames company also could only served 43, 82% of 374.211 customers.
On education issue, in all Jakarta areas, schooling activities in more than 1.500 schools are stopped. Numbers of children who are not participating in schooling activities are even larger where there are many children are forbidden to go to school by their parent for safety reason and for there are no school uniform available to be used by the students. Numbers of schools now are even shifted into a refugee shelter.
Conflict Social Threats
Big flood also generating social conflict. In Cilincing, two women are fighting over the clean water. In Kampung Melayu the distribution of aids is tending to create conflict since the aids are distributed based on religion. Anthropologist, Irwan Said, predicts that there will be a big social conflict, post flood disaster. According to him, financial loss that suffered by the flood victims will implicated into social problems especially with the limitation of working fields since so many industries has collapsed caused by the flood.
Government Response toward the Flood Disaster
On responding the increase of number of refugees, the Jakarta’s Government are now preparing a mass refugees shelter. The mass refugees’ shelters are spread in five areas in Jakarta (North, South, East, West and also Central Jakarta) and being coordinated by Army, Jakarta’s Police Agency, Navy, and other forces.
For all the loss that has inflicted by the flood which potentially cost Rp. 4, 1 trillion, the Jakarta’s Government still decline to be responsible over the flood. The Governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, claimed that the flood is part of natural disaster and they have allocated all energy and fund to manage the flood.
The statement create furiousness among the Jakarta’s inhabitants especially those who are, directly, experienced the flood. People are acknowledging that the Jakarta’s Government has allocated Rp. 296, 6 billion from Local Budget to manage the flood which is considered as a failed management. The Jakarta’s Government has five years to conduct any of flood disaster management after we had experienced the similar flood in 2002. Even the flood occurred in 2002 is bad enough, what happen now is even worse and that should be able to be anticipated by the Jakarta’s Government.
Apart from the progress post flood where there are still large numbers of refugees are abandoned and hampered public services, the Head of national Development Planning Agency, Paskah Suzetta, stated that the management of flood conducted by the Jakarta’s Local Government is considered optimal.
As an effort to manage the flood, the National Government is applying a policy that considered as a badly chosen strategy where the Ministry of Workers and Transmigration invite people who live on the riverbanks to join on Government program, named Transmigration. The Minister offered people a house and land sized of 500 m square and a living cost assurance for one year. The government said that there will be a new zone for these people.
There are four regencies that already prepared for the program which is Ogan Komering Ilir regency in South Sumatera, Tulang Bawang in Lampung, Luwu Timur regency in South Sulawesi and Kapuas regency in West Kalimantan. The government stated that this 2009 program are allocated for 82 thousand of families.
On responding the program, most of riverbanks inhabitants decline the program based on reason that the riverbanks are already become their homes and they also mention about the income potential where most of them are working as small merchants and it will be difficult to shift it into farming.
The solution over the flood offered by the Government could not solve the problem hence created new problems. The program is formulated without considering the economical and social culture of riverbanks inhabitants. Those people have their own reason to migrate to Jakarta and finally forced to live in riverbanks. They moved to Jakarta for the resources, back on their villages, are limited. One thing need to be pointed is whether the land provided in the transmigration area is productive or not. If its not, the same problem (lack of resources will be experienced again by those migrant). The other thing should be considered by the Government is the acceptance of the local people toward these new comers since social conflict often occurred caused by the difference of culture among the local people and the new comers.
UPC’s Emergency Relief Program
On responding the flood, UPC and kampong are conducting an emergency relief action. The action begins with the assessment of the volunteers into poor communities that are affected by the flood, forced to refuge and has not received aids. They will, then, collect the information on number of refugees, their necessities and their last condition. After conducting the assessment, volunteer then decided what kind of aids that could be supplied on assisting the refugees.
Up to now, we have identified thirteen (13) poor communities that spread in all Jakarta’s area i.e, North Jakarta (Semper, Kebun Bayam, Sungai Bambu and Warakas, Pekojan, Teluk Gong, Jelambar Petak Seng, kampong Sawah and Rawa Malang), West Jakarta (Cengkareng and Bojong Pulo), and East Jakarta (Prumpung, CBS, and Pulogadung)
Together with kampong’s people, UPC distribute the logistic (tent, blanket, medicine supplies, baby diapers, milk, woman’s napkins, clothes) and also build a public kitchen.
Since in some of areas the flood has subsided, the focuses of emergency relief (in some kampongs) are now shifted into the management post disaster. Together with kampongs’ people, volunteers conduct the “neighbourhood cleaning program” where together they cleaning all the mud and garbage caused by the flood and some others are cooking for the meal.
Generally, in the next few days, UPC is still focusing on the emergency relief for the flood. Even the water has subsided, the Government Weather Agency stated that until February 12th, 2007 the heavy rain is still predicted to fall and the flood might stream again.
