Jakarta Flood Misery.......

Millions of people in Jakarta are living in sububrs(an area on the edge of a large town or city where people who work in the town or city often live)outside the city.Jakarta's residents are at risk every year from floods when monsoon season.In February, 70 per cent of Jakarta was flooded.The riverbanks burst and sends muddy water along streets.When the water level rise people were forced out of their home, some even died from drowning and diseases.Few weeks after, more people suffered illnesses like diarrhoea, dengue and respiratory problems.A month after the disaster, authorities estimated the economic loss which was around 5.2 trillion rupiah(S$884 million).In 2002 the disaster came again when 21 lives were lost. Excessive logging and illegal building have covered drainage areas and destroyed green field sites that used to soak up excess water.It was made more worse by clogged sewage pipes and waterways heaped with rubbish and environmentalists warn that it will not simply disappear.Global warming has led to higher temperatures. As warm air carries more moisture we can expect water-rich air moving over land to create intense storms. Scientists point out that climate change is affecting rainforest like the Amazonian and Indonesian rainforest.Nobody is sure why this happen and Jakarta have to take steps to prevent it or else flood will continue to fill the city with LOTS of water.

Sarah

Adapted from an article in LRD.