Flood Again, Headache Again

Floods have struck again. Their relentless surge has submerged homes, swept away possessions painstakingly accumulated over the years, and forced people to evacuate for the sake of their lives.

The story of the flood does not end there. After the water began to recede, affected residents, such as those in Bidara Cina, East Jakarta, still had to reorganize their lives to recover from the aftermath of the flood.

The East Jakarta Sports Hall (GOR) or Otista Sports Hall is filled with flood evacuees. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of DKI Jakarta recorded 737 evacuees as of Wednesday afternoon (5/3/2025).

Yati (58) and Nuryanti (50) are among them. They are residents of RT 09 RW 07 who have been displaced since Tuesday due to heavy rains and the overflow of the Ciliwung River, which submerged settlements along its banks.

"Yesterday the water rose, and it kept getting higher until my house was submerged," said Yati.

The house is semi-permanent, consisting of two floors. The onslaught of water damaged the house's planks and swept away the items inside.

By Wednesday morning, the water began to recede, but it left behind thick mud. Yati needed extra equipment to clean the house she shared with her four children, their spouses, and her grandchildren.

"I don't have an electric water sprayer, so I clean using whatever tools are available," said Yati. She estimated it would take up to two weeks to clean the house.

Cleaning up might take longer. This is because his son-in-law had to be admitted to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital due to a recurrence of his lung condition caused by the cold while braving the flood.

Yati really hopes for government assistance. Moreover, she is a single parent who works as a traveling washerwoman with an income of Rp 900,000 per month.

"There's no money to replace damaged items. There's also no money to buy boards to repair the house," said Yati.

He then reached into his pocket and showed Rp 50,000. Laughing, he said that was the only denomination left so if possible the government could provide cash assistance.

Nuryanti, her neighbor, also experienced a similar fate. In fact, part of her house was swept away by the current.

"The back of my house is directly attached to the river. That's why they took off the boards. Luckily there were no crocodiles," said Nur, as she is known, trying to lighten the mood amidst the difficulties.

This flood is worse than in 2020. Previously, the water level only submerged the first floor. Now, houses are submerged.

He hopes that the Ciliwung River will be dredged soon to reduce the impact of flooding. Because, dredging has been promised for a long time, but has not materialized.

It is known that the normalization of the Ciliwung River is still hampered by land acquisition. Residents are divided between compensation for relocation or remaining on the riverbank.

Nur and Yati are still thinking about the compensation offer for relocation. They are willing to move to an apartment as long as it is not far from Bidara Cina.

"If it's in a flat, you have to get at least three units because the children are already grown up," said Yati.

The DKI Jakarta BPBD reported that as of Wednesday afternoon, 30 RTs were still submerged in floodwaters due to heavy rain and overflowing Ciliwung River, Pesanggrahan River, and Angke River.

The affected areas are West Jakarta, South Jakarta, and East Jakarta. The water level varies between 30 cm to 2 meters.

Overall, the flood caused 3,419 residents to evacuate to several shelters. Bidara Cina Subdistrict is one of the areas with the largest number of refugees.

In addition, there are 500 residents who have fled to the Pengadegan Sports Hall. So far, the Jakarta BPBD continues to distribute emergency aid, such as ready-to-eat food, mineral water, blankets, and family and children's needs packages.

DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung after reviewing the Manggarai Water Gate on Tuesday (4/3/2025) afternoon, ensured that his staff were working optimally to ensure smooth flow at the water gates and flood pumps, and to carry out weather modification operations again.

"Of course, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is responsible. Dredging, diversion, continued, infiltration wells are no longer made on the road, but in water channels. So good things are continued," said Pramono.

Pramono will also coordinate again with neighboring areas, namely West Java and Banten for flood control. Because, solving problems in the Jabodetabekjur agglomeration cannot be partial or only Jakarta.