Breaking the Flood, Dozens of Motorcycles in DI Panjaitan Strike

JAKARTA - Dozens of motorcycles experienced engine breakdowns due to breaking through the high flood that flooded Jalan DI Panjaitan, Jatinegara, East Jakarta (Jaktim), Thursday morning.

"Yes, this is my motorcycle that broke down again, I didn't want the engine to light up when I broke through the streets here," said one of the motorcycle riders named Farid (34) on Jalan DI Panjaitan, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, Thursday.

Heavy rain that has been pouring over the area since morning has made the water level reach around 50 centimeters (cm) or half a vehicle tire.

Farid admitted that his vehicle broke down while passing through the road due to flood water entering the exhaust.

According to him, the rain that has been falling since Thursday morning has made the water puddles higher and difficult to pass for two-wheeled vehicles.

"It just so happens that it has been raining since morning. The road in DI Panjaitan is flooded, the water enters the exhaust. The water is half the tire, about 50 centimeters," said Farid.

He explained that his motorcycle engine could not be started because the water had filled the exhaust part. As a result, he was forced to pull over and wait until conditions were possible so that his vehicle could be turned back on.

"The engine is not yet alive, there is still a lot of water in the exhaust, after the water comes out, thank God, the engine can light up," said Farid.

He added that although he often crossed Jalan DI Panjaitan in his daily activities, the flood conditions this time were much worse than usual. The high puddle made the motorcycle prone to breaking down if forced to pass.

"Actually, I often pass by here, but this time I only stopped because the water was high," said Farid.

Monitoring at the location, the flood on Jalan DI Panjaitan caused traffic flow to be stalled.

A number of motorcyclists were seen pushing their broken down vehicles, while cars drove slowly to avoid engine damage.

Officers also appeared to be on duty to manage traffic and help drivers affected by the flood.

On Thursday morning, the flood began to gradually recede, and road users were advised to be careful or look for alternative routes to avoid congestion and the risk of vehicles breaking down.

Meanwhile, police officers imposed traffic engineering by diverting part of the lane in the opposite direction (contra flow) on the DI Panjaitan Road following the flood that submerged the road since Thursday morning.

The step was taken to disperse the vehicle density due to water puddles as high as 40-50 cm.

"Meanwhile, we are implementing contra flow for motorcycles because the flood has been soaking this DI Panjaitan Road since this morning," said Deputy Head of the East Jakarta Metro Police Traffic Unit, Kompol Sunaryo, on DI Panjaitan Road, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, Thursday.

As a result of this condition, traffic flow from both directions is affected. Vehicle queues stretch 500 meters to one kilometer, especially during morning rush hours.

To minimize density, officers apply a special contraflow for motorcycles in one lane towards the Halim Lama intersection.

In addition, vehicles from the UKI direction are diverted by turning left to Jalan Otista Raya.

The traffic engineering is situational and continues to be evaluated according to the development of conditions in the field.