Jakarta – Flood victims in Bekasi, West Java, are demanding that property developers and the Bekasi administration take responsibility for floods at the weekend in several neighborhood units and to carry out mitigation efforts to prevent future incidents.
The heavy rainfall on Saturday night and Sunday morning inundated four neighborhood units at the Harapan Indah Housing on Jl. Nusa Indah.
The flooding, up to a depth of around 1.2 meters, killed one, cut off electricity and forced a number of people, especially the elderly and families with young children, to evacuate as late as Sunday night.
The residents, grouped under the Harapan Indah Housing Forum, demanded three things, according to their press release on Sunday.
First, they demanded the developer PT Hasana Damai Putra Group and the Bekasi administration take responsibility for the flooding that caused material and other damages.
Second, they demanded the developer carry out mitigation efforts against future flooding.
Finally they asked for the administration to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the housing projects built by the developer, especially with regard to drainage.
The housing forum claimed that the drainage did not work optimally, allegedly due to bad planning and the absence of a sluice system, for which the developer was at fault.
There was an apparent difference between the conditions on Jl. Nusa Indah and Jl. Garden Indah, because of the failures of Hasana Damai as a developer, the press release claimed.
Since the start of the year there have already been three floods, which have claimed two lives as a result of electrocution.
The negligence of the administration was also highlighted in the housing forum's demands given the recurring nature of the flooding, which led residents to feel that the administration had failed to create a safe and comfortable living space. (ydp)