Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Public policy observer Andrinov Chaniago has urged the government to mitigate the impacts of big floods which usually occur every five years in Jakarta.

"Natural disasters cannot be avoided, but the impacts should be anticipated by the government," Adrinov said here on Monday.

The anticipatory steps could include reconstruction of damaged culverts in the capital city, he said.

"Jakarta`s drainage quality and capacity is not good enough," he said.

Serious floods could paralyze daily activities of Jakarta`s citizens, including in the business and education sectors, he said.

In normal conditions, it would take three days to go back to normal after flooding, but in Jakarta it could take more than three days, which indicated that there was something wrong with the drainage system, he added.

Andrinov said that until now the government`s anticipatory steps against big floods that usually come back every five years, were still not known.

Before flying to France, President Yudhoyono asked Vice President Boediono and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo to address the flood problem in the capital city and to prevent the floods from spreading to wider areas like what were happening in Thailand and Myanmar.

On Sunday evening (Oct 31), Pondok Labu in south Jakarta was flooded up to a height of two meters, forcing residents to flee to higher ground.

The Indonesian Red Cross helped the local residents in the evacuation process and set up emergency tents to accommodate the flood victims consisting of at least 239 families.

Most parts of Indonesia are currently entering the rainy season.
(Uu.F001/HAJM)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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