Jakarta's Under Water World

Jakarta is recovering from its worst flood in national history. About 70% of its area was covered with muddy water, mainly came from its thirteen rivers that run through the city. Yes, thirteen, one three. Imagine if everyone one of them is filled with rubbish, households and industrial wastage that are being dumped everyday. Then imagine they do it for, let's say 5 years. When the raining season comes, people will worry more about the flood than the crime rate. It is actually a cycle, a 5-year cycle. Yet there are not enough efforts to prevent the seasonal flood (it sounds wrong but hey it is what happen here).

During the disaster, the city was forced to halt its daily activities. Everything and everywhere was flooded. Commercial areas, shopping malls, offices, and of course people's houses. How high was the water? some might start to ask. Well, I'll give one example in an underpass, with 5.5 m height. The flood almost touched its ceiling, only leaving about 20 cm from the top. Some worst area, the flood covered up to 7 meters height. Some lucky citizens only got the muddy and thick water up to their ankle. Then problems started arise from it, starvation, not enough medical supplies and evacuation area, including the poor health and sanitation, and the most critical one is the inadequate amount of clean water. The floods have forced the closures of several main roads across Jakarta, electricity and water supplies remain cut in large areas of the city. Some major rail lines and some roads have been closed. Most schools also stayed shut, as forecasters warned that more rain is on its way.

Thousands were forced to flee from their houses, leaving their belongings behind. Many even haven't got chance to take any single thing. Between the 2nd to 4th February, there was nothing I could do except watching the news. Can't really go anywhere. I had to take emergency day off from work. I'm a bit lucky as we live near the outskirt of Jakarta and it's higher than the capital town. So heavy rain wasn't a problem.

A week after the flood, more problems arise. Diseases started to spread. Diarrhoea and dysentery are the main threat including illness spread by rats. It was clear that there was an epidemic in most refuging area. It took another 4 to 5 days before the condition become a bit better. However, the government was facing a renewed criticism as it hasn't done enough to prevent the disaster. Then we watched people started to blame each other. The people blamed the government for the inadequate programs and plannings to anticipate it. Within government, people also started to point their fingers on others. Of course some politic parties took this moment to discredit the current government and expose their inabilities to provide what their people need.

Aside from the blaming and the pointing fingers, we should really re-assess ourselves. Have we done enough? Do we start the "do no litter campaign" from ourselves? Have we built enough awareness among ourselves? In my opinion, it's not someone's fault, but everyone's fault. I do feel guilty for those little rubbish I threw on the roads. Tissues, ATM receipt, shopping receipt, candy wraps, etc, those little things I admit threw away on the streets. Eventhough many said if the government could fix its east flood canal and west flood canal, the flood won't be a problem anymore. At least it won't be this bad.

So, rather than trying to find the scapegoat, let's adjust our behavior and consciousness that flood is harmful. Houses, properties, and even our lives are at stake. Everyone should do something -no matter how small it is- or else in five ears the flood ravage one day might become a tourism commodity if we don't do anything about it.

"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned".
Peter Marshall