The Kebon Pala Area Is Still Submerged In Water, Residents Admit That The Government Did Not Give Advance Warning

Residents of Kebon Pala, Kampung Melayu crossing the flood water sent/ Photo: Rizky Sulistio/ VOI

JAKARTA - The Ciliwung River in the Kebon Pala area, Jatinegara District, East Jakarta, has again overflowed, causing dozens of houses to be flooded. Floods began to hit residential areas on the banks of the Ciliwung River on Sunday, November 7.

The flood came suddenly without any notification from the local government. So people panic when they have to evacuate their valuables.

The flood has varying water levels, ranging from 50 cm to 100 cm. Flooding in this basin area comes from water delivery in the upstream sector of the Ciliwung River, namely in Bogor, West Java.

Meanwhile, a number of children took advantage of the flood to swim together.

"It's normal for a 5-year-old child to be released by their parents (to swim during a flood). (The term is) a flood bath, the benefits are when they can swim," said Sanusi, Head of neighborhood unit (RT) 13/04, Kampung Melayu Village, Monday, November 8.

Until now, floodwaters still hit the area along the Ciliwung River in Kebon Pala. The flood inundation still reaches a height of about 2.5 meters.

"(since) 50 years of living here, almost every year we have subscribed, our residents are not surprised anymore. (flood) Depends on rainfall and (water delivery) in Bogor," he said.

Sanusi admitted that the area that is subject to flooding along the Ciliwung River in the Kebon Pala area has not yet been installed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government.

"There has been a request but no work has been done. Maybe it hasn't been done yet. It hasn't been implemented yet," he said.

Residents hope that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government can carry out flood mitigation by normalizing the Ciliwung River which is currently not being carried out.

Aput (65), a resident along the Ciliwung River, confirmed that currently his area is often hit by heavy floods almost every year.

"The current factor is the silting of the river water, it is getting shallower every year. Meanwhile, the rainfall in Bogor is high. There is no river dredging or normalization here because it has not been plastered or sheet piled," he said.