Jakarta’s flood exposes government neglect and indifference

At the height of the flooding, an estimated 60 percent of Jakarta was under water, up to four metres deep. Entire suburbs were accessible only by boat. Schools, markets and businesses closed, as much of the city came to a halt. Telecommunications were disrupted. National Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta has estimated the economic cost of the flood at $US453 million.

While the rich checked into five star hotels, most of the victims crowded into emergency accommodation at schools and mosques. Among the hardest hit were the city’s hundreds of thousands of slum dwellers, many of whom live in shanty towns along the city’s river banks and canals. The population of Jakarta is more than 8 million and another 5 million live in the surrounding areas.

The city’s hospitals were overwhelmed by patients suffering from water-borne diseases. As of February 12, Health Ministry official Rustam Pakaya reported that 190,000 people had been treated as outpatients and 510 more serious cases had been admitted to the already overcrowded hospitals.

Diarrhea, acute respiratory infection, fever and itching skin were the common complaints. At least three cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease spread by rat urine, have been reported. Leptospirosis can cause serious illness, including liver failure if not treated. There have been increasing numbers of cases of dengue fever, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

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