FLOODS RETURN TO JAKARTA ON SUNDAY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 19 (Antara) - As predicted by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), floods returned to the Capital City Jakarta on Sunday with waters inundating many road sections and cut off traffic.         Sunday's floods followed those on Saturday which were caused by heavy rains on Friday night and by flood waters sent down from upstream areas in Bogor and Puncak mountainous areas in West Java.         The BMKG has predicted that the floods will return to Jakarta on Sunday as Saturday night heavy rains would again pour the capital city.  "The rain intensity tonight, based on the weather forecast, will be the same as last night," BMKG Chief Mulyono Prabowo stated here on Saturday.         The expected heavy rains will fall in Central and South Jakarta, the BMKG chief pointed out, saying the weather forecast also predicted medium to heavy rains in the coming days. "After that, the rain will slow and is forecast to end early in March," he said.          Incessant rains pouring Jakarta since Saturday until early hours on Sunday created floods and cut off the traffic in several sections of roads in Jakarta.          The Traffic Management Center (TMC) of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police said on its twitter account on Sunday that the road sections flooded by waters were, among others, Jalan Letjen Suprapto and Jalan Yos Sudarso. The flood waters in the two roads were about 40 to 50 cm deep.          The authorities temporarily closed the lower lane of the Kamal Toll road at Km 24 (to and from Soekarno-Hatta airport), redirecting the traffic to the elevated lane of the toll road.          A 70cm deep water also flooded the Halim Toll road at km 00.200 toward the Tanjung Priok direction.          Northern parts of the capital city, such as Kapuk Muara, Kampung Bandan, Teluk Gong and Kramat Koja were also reported to be flooded with waters reaching 40-60 cm deep.          Jalan Tipar Timur in West Semper was swamped with flood waters at a height of about 90 cm.

JAKARTA ALERTED OVER POSSIBLE MASSIVE FLOODING

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 26 (ANTARA) - With the current rainy season  expected to peak in January and February, Jakarta city authorities have been called upon on to prepare for possible massive flooding and take steps to minimize its destructive impact if it happens,    "I am paying  special attention to Jakarta, although it has been relatively safe in the last four years. But you have to remember that next year it could be different," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo here on Friday.         The president made the statement in a limited cabinet meeting on climate change also attended by  Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo.       The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (MBKG) has predicted that in the current rainy season extreme weather in a number of regions in Indonesia will take place. Moreover, now is the time for the five yearly cycle of big floods to take place again.         Yudhoyono said Jakarta was  hit by floods every year. Therefore, he asked the Jakarta government to prepare various steps to anticipate floods.  "I am confident the Jakarta governor has taken the anticipatory steps," the president said.          The president asked the people to take a lesson from the experience of several neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, like Thailand and others, which were hit by floods.          Therefore the relevant ministries have also prepared steps so that floods, if they take place, would not have impact and last for long like those taking place in Thailand.          Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al-Jufri said the government had made preparations to face the possible major floods in Jakarta. "All relevant ministries have made preparations for floods, not only in Jakarta but also in other regions in Indonesia. After all, the rain falls in January and February are high. So, we have to make preparations so that it would happen like in Thailand," Minister Salim said.          He said his ministry had prepared emergency funds, inflatable  and salvaging boats. Besides, a total of 1,250 rescuers are alerted in Jakarta and more than 30 thousands others all over the country.  "We are doing our best so that the victims could be well safeguarded when there are floods," the minister said.          Especially in the face of the fiver yearly cycles of big floods in Jakarta, the Jakarta government said it had made preparations even since 2008, such as dredging rivers and cleaning   sewage.          Head of Jakarta Public Work Service Ery Basworo said his office had allocated a fund for cleaning 144 rivers and sewages every year in Jakarta. In 2008, 12 rivers were dredged while in 2009 the same thing was also done on 64 rivers. Last year, six rivers were dredged and cleaned of     refuse clog.          "The main cause of floods in Jakarta is garbage that clogged the sewage system and rivers. Therefore, the regional government also called for the participation of the people,"  Ery Basworo said.          Besides, the Jakarta public works service also is also preparing at least 646 flood task forces which are deployed in a number of flood prone areas in Jakarta. It has also made available at least 334 units of water pumps with a capacity of 358.7 cubic meters per second in 121 flood prone locations, 17 pick-up trucks, 25 units of Beco heavy equipment, 32 mobile water pumps, 38,500 sand bags, 6 rubber boats,  he said.         According to Ery Basworo, the equipment needed to overcome floods is now ready for operations in five areas of Jakarta in the current rainy season. "The Jakarta Public Work Service has conducted monitoring and detection on flood locations in Jakarta in the run-up to the rainy season," he said.         Regarding the widening of rivers and dams, Ery said his office would be assisted by the central government in widening five rivers from six meters to 22 meters. "Besides, narrow culverts would also be widened. Those previously having a diameter of 60 cm are now replaced with those with a diameter of 1.8 meters," he said.          Ery said that the rivers that would be widened included the Sunter, the Cipinang, the Grogol, the Krukut and the Pesanggrahan. "The width of the five rivers is only six meters. We plan to widen it into 22 meters with a length of 35 km for each of the rivers," Ery said.          House Speaker Marzuki Alie appreciated the various efforts by the regional government of Jakarta and the people made to anticipate floods in the capital city as a result of increasing rain falls which is expected to take place next month.          "The House hails the regional government and people's efforts to face floods such as the cleaning and the construction of walls on the brink of River Ciliwung and floods safeguarding simulations," the House Speaker said.         Marzuki said Jakarta as the capital city is the center of government, economic activities and the activities of state institutions. Therefore, Jakarta should be free from floods because the disaster would disturb the government and people economic activities.         "If the construction of the east and west flood canals have almost been completed, revitalization of dams and 13 rivers which crisscross Jakarta should be carried out soon, including the Ciliwung  river" Marzuki Alie said.***6**** (T.A014/A/HAJM/18:10/A014) 26-11-2011 18:19:

WEST PAPUA'S WASIOR TOWN CRIPPLED BY FLOODS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 6 (ANTARA) - The district town of Wasior in West Papua province has over the past three-days been crippled by floods that caused at least 64 deaths and 451 people to go missing.           Besides, a total of 91 people sustained serious injuries, 68 minor ones and about 3,000 others were evacuated.          "Land and air transportation was also paralyzed  as roads were cut off and Wasior's airstrip was inundated. The area can now be reached only by sea," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono, said.          In order to help the victims, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered central and regional government officials to handle the flash floods in Wasior, Telok Wondama district, West Papua province, in a coordinated way.          "The president asked the coordinating minister for people's welfare and the minister/state secretary to coordinate with West Papua government so that the victims could be handled well, including those at the evacuation centers," Presidential Spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said here on Wednesday.          He said that the floods in Wasior had claimed more than 64 hundreds were still missing victims. "This must be given serious attention and the central government will give priorities to saving lives and evacuating the victims well," he sad.          Pasha said that the president also expressed condolences to the victims and their families.          "In connection with the floods, the president asked the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Syamsul Maarif to inspect the location and take note of the latest developments in West Papua," he said.          The BNPB has sent 60 units of platoon tents, 80 units of family tents, 200 rolling tents, 60 units emergency beds, 500 packages of clothes, 100 pieces of mats, 2,250 ready for consumption foods and 2,250 kg medicines.          Thirty-one houses had been heavily damaged and health facilities, schools, roads, bridges and a hotel had also been damaged.          "The Wasior airstrip is still inundated and cannot be used for landing and therefore my flight there had been postponed," he said.          President Yudhoyono has also sent logistical supplies worth Rp2 billion to reduce the burden of flood victims in Wasior, West Papua.  "The President has sent aids for the flood victims," Agung Laksono said.          Agung said the President was very concerned over the disaster and therefore had sent the aid.   The aid consists of clothes, blankets, medicines, food, mats, milk for under five children and others.          "If all goes well the aid is expected to arrive on the scene on Thursday," he said.          Agung said the President had asked all the ministries concerned to monitor the development there and conduct an emergency response.          "I have been asked to keep coordinating the ministries concerned with the problem. The President said all ministries concerned had to pay special attention to the victims and evacuees," he said.          As the area could only be reached by sea,  the Indonesian Navy has sent its KRI Kalakay-818 to West Papua to help flood victims in Wasior.          The warship from the Eastern Fleet arrived at Wasior on Wednesday at around 2.30pm local time, Eastern Fleet Command spokesman Lt Col Yayan Sugiana said here on Wednesday.           "The ship left Manokwari for Wasior on Tuesday," he said. He said the ship carried 58 people including 13 health workers as well as heavy equipment to clean up debris.          He said the medical team immediately worked to help victims upon arrival.          KRI Kalakay had been able to evacuate 53 survivors including 16 children.          "Of the 53 survivors helped one was seriously wounded and seven others lightly injured," he said.          He said the ship would operate there for the next 14 days.          According to data from the National Disaster Control Agency 64 people had been killed in the flash floods that happened in the disrict following heavy rains recently.          The government is planning to send a floating hospital, KRI Dr Soeharso-990 warship to Wasior's Wondama Bay. "The government will send 'KRI Dr Soeharso' which is expected to arrive two to three days ahead ," Agung Laksono said.          KRI Dr Soeharto is expected to help provide health service to the victims. "The district town is still the crippled conditions and could not be reached through land and air. Therefore it is expected that floating ship is the correct means to provide the victims with health services through the sea lane," he said.           Heavy rains have fallen in the region from Sunday to Monday. Those who died in the disaster were likely because they had been sunk after being carried away by the flood that also carried with it logs and rocks from a lake in the mountain      Lecturer at Jayapura's Agricultural Institute (Stiper), Yunus Paelo, said  some parts of the forests in Jayapura Municipality and the surrounding region had been damaged and this would eventually  trigger floods and landslides unless forests in the region were given  better care and preserved. .          "You can see now , Wasior has been hit by flood. Jayapura is often hit by floods and landslides as well.  This was caused by  irresponsible forest and land reclamation," Paelo said.***3*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/23:35/a014) 06-10-2010 23:41: