Anies' Reasons For Jakarta Flood Not Receding In 6 Hours: There Is Water Delivered From Bogor

Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan (Doc. DKI Jakarta Provincial Government PR)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan once targeted that Jakarta floods could recede for six hours. Unfortunately, in today's flood, the water has not receded since early morning.

Anies said, the cause of the inundation to recede quickly was not only due to the high intensity of local rain, but also water delivery from the upstream area.

"That's right. So we are six hours after the water receded in the river, returned to normal, or six hours after the rain stopped. Well, what happened was the rain stopped, but the flow from upstream was still going on. So, that's where it became a separate obstacle," said Anies at Manggarai Water Gate, South Jakarta, Saturday, January 20.

Therefore, Anies said that the networks of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government must work extra hard to deal with inundation that occurs due to local rain, as well as delivery water coming through the river.

"The water sent from the upstream area, namely Bogor, and the central area, the Depok area, is now on its way to Jakarta. Well, on the way to Jakarta, it will certainly have an impact on the surrounding areas," he said.

Therefore, Anies will prioritize handling residents who appear to be flooded. Starting from the preparation of evacuation places, to evacuating residents trapped in settlements.

"The priority is safety, ensuring that residents who are affected can have temporary rest areas. Once the water recedes they can return to their homes. As long as they are there the need for food, health service needs will certainly be available. God willing, once it recedes, they can return to their activities," he said.

Based on data as of 09.00 Western Indonesia Time, there were 200 RTs (Neighbourhood Association) out of a total of 30,070 RTs. Then, there are 26 evacuation locations, with a total of 329 families out of a total of 2.4 million families in Jakarta.

The DKI Provincial Government has prepared a public kitchen for the refugees. Besides that, covid self-isolation tents were also prepared for those who have symptoms or are detected from antigen tests. "We also prepare medicines and infrastructure," he said.