Norman Harsono, Jakarta – More than 740 neighborhoods in Greater Jakarta and 107 in Banten remain without power as of Friday noon after severe flooding since Wednesday.
Areas in Greater Jakarta without power include Cengkareng, Bandengan and Kebun Jeruk in West Jakarta and satellite cities Jasinga, Nanggung, Cibitung and Wanasari in West Java, state-owned electricity company PLN said in a statement on Friday.
Meanwhile, those in Banten are located in South Banten. Electricity has been restored in most neighborhoods in Cikokol, Teluk Naga and Serpong, which includes the BSD residential area.
"To speed up our efforts to restore power, we've brought in personnel from Central and East Java," said PLN executive vice president for corporate communications I Made Suprateka.
Hundreds of substations distributing electricity to Greater Jakarta and Banten were shut off following the New Year's flood out of safety concerns. However, PLN has been consistently reactivating stations and as of Friday noon, 96.9 percent of the 23,700 substations in Greater Jakarta and 99.2 percent of the 14,000 substations in Banten were operational.
"Before turning on the electricity in their homes, residents must be careful and ensure all electronic devices are clean and dry. Otherwise, this might cause electric shocks," added Made.
The company also urged residents to exercise caution when using diesel generators out of similar concerns over electrocution.