0 Pluit Residents Fear Burglaries

Homes in Pluit ward in North Jakarta remain inundated in water up to a meter deep nearly a week after last Thursday’s citywide flooding, but residents are still refusing to evacuate, fearing their homes will be ransacked in their absence. “We’re afraid that our belongings might get stolen, which is why we’re only taking refuge nearby,” 51-year-old Nani, a flood victim, told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday. Nani said she and her family did not leave their home even when the water reached 2 meters on Thursday last week. 

“The water is starting to recede. It’s only about a meter deep now,” the mother of four added. Nani’s house is located just 20 meters away from the Pluit polder, which has overflowed since last Thursday as a result of the huge net inflow of flood and rainwater runoff from the Cideng River. Officials previously said it would take until this Friday at the earliest to pump the excess water out to sea, but Nani said she and her neighbors were determined not to head to drier ground. 

“Hopefully it will recede soon and we don’t get more rain,” she said. Water levels in the upscale residential area of East Pluit remained about half a meter high. Most residents here have sought refuge with relatives or checked into a hotel. “Many of the residents have left, and we don’t know how long this will go on,” said Edi Efendy, a neighborhood unit chief. He added that this was the first time that floods had affected the area, and said he hoped the city administration would take immediate steps to prevent future floods. “This area is relatively far from the Pluit polder. 

If the polder continues to overflow, how will we ever be free from flooding?” Edi said. Residents living along the North Jakarta coast have also been warned about tidal flooding that is expected to peak this Sunday and exacerbate the inundation. North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiyono called on residents to leave their homes because the flooding was expected to worsen. “I call on residents whose homes are still inundated to evacuate to a safer place. We have provided decent places for refuge,” he said. 

He also said that distribution of aid for flood victims would be better channelled if distributed at temporary shelters. The city has already moved some 2,200 Pluit residents to a vacant tenement block in nearby Muara Baru ward, and is offering several other locations for temporary shelter, including the Laguna Apartments, where 890 flood victims are now staying, the Emporium Pluit Mall and the local subdistrict office. Bambang said around 2,000 residents had sought refuge near their homes, but called on them to go someplace safer . 

“No shelter is like home, but this is for the residents’ own safety,” he said. Meanwhile, officials at the polder are struggling to pump out the excess water, with only three of seven pumps working. Separately, Health Ministry Nafsiah Mboi warned that the prolonged exposure to stagnant floodwater was leaving flood victims vulnerable to a raft of ailments, including colds, acute respiratory infections and skin irritations. However, the minister said the number of people suffering diarrhea was less than initially feared. 

Additionally the ministry said that there had not been any reported cases of the infectious disease leptospirosis among flood victims. The Health Ministry has deployed three teams to help the victims, one of which is an evacuation team. The second team, a health and hygiene unit, is focused on dealing with expectant mothers and young children, while the third team is helping address cases of psychological distress as a result of the flood.

source : the jakarta globe