It’s almost the end of the year and Jakarta started its rainy season. High rainfall with water discharge that exceeds the capacity of the channel will cause flooding. This puddle has the potential to cause flooding. Therefore, before the frequency and intensity of rain increases, Smartcitizens need to know how to prevent flooding.

How to Prevent Floods during the Rainy Season in Jakarta

Starting from preventative steps that you can take yourself at home, to those you can do with your neighbors and people around you, here are ways to prevent flooding in the rainy season.

Making Biopore Holes

Biopore absorption holes are one solution so that falling rain can be absorbed, does not cause puddles, and prevents flooding. Apart from that, biopore holes are also useful for reducing organic waste and fertilizing the soil.

The Jakarta Provincial Government through the Jakarta Provincial Water Resources Agency (DSDA) usually builds biopore holes in various areas of Jakarta. However, you can also make yours at home as a way to prevent flooding.
 

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Before making a biopore hole, make sure you have done the following things.

1. Prepare the materials, namely a PVC pipe that has holes in the sides, water, compost sacks and biopore hole covers, and a drill or crowbar;
2. Choose land that is fairly flat, not steep, not sloping, or near a ravine;
3. Choose land that is far from septic tanks, waste storage areas, and at least one meter away from the foundation of the house;
4. Make sure the depth of the biopore well is a maximum of two meters below the ground surface so that the well can hold water up to 1.5 meters deep during the rainy season;
5. Choose soil that can absorb water.

Then, follow the steps below to make biopore holes.

1. Prepare equipment to make a biopore well and determine the location;
2. Water the soil to make it looser;
3. Make a hole in the ground with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters with a biopore drill. Make a distance of around 50-100 centimeters between holes if you want to make more than one hole;
4. Dig a hole to a depth of two meters;
5. Insert the PVC pipe that has been perforated and cover it with a biopore hole cover;
6. Finished! The biopore hole is now ready for use.
    

You can read more complete information about making biopore holes in this article.

Cleaning Drains and Home Yards

One of the causes of obstruction of water flow in channels is blockage of water channels caused by accumulated rubbish. For this reason, you can do it yourself or invite your neighbors to clean the drains, ditches or gutters around the house. Not only is it a way to prevent flooding, cleaning waterways or sewers can also prevent unpleasant odors and the emergence of disease germs, such as Dengue Fever (DHF). Don't want to get dengue fever, right? So, start cleaning the water channels near your house regularly.

Apart from cleaning the channels, you can also add cleaning your yard as a way to prevent flooding. Clean up fallen leaves, rubbish or debris scattered around your yard and throw them in the trash so they don't clog your gutters.

Using Grass Blocks

Another way you can take to absorb rainwater so it doesn't stagnate as a way to prevent flooding is to make grass blocks in your yard. Grass block is an arrangement of concrete in the form of small blocks on the ground with grass in between. Having grass between the blocks can help absorb more rainwater into the soil. Apart from that, grass blocks can also make your yard look greener and unique.
 

Reporting Inundation Through JAKI

What if standing water or potential flooding occurs outside your home? You can still take action! You can report puddles, gutters full of rubbish, or other things that have the potential to cause flooding through the Citizen Report feature in the JAKI application.

The Citizen Relations Management  (CRM)  owned by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will process and forward your report to JAKI so that it reaches and is followed up directly by the relevant Regional Apparatus Organization (OPD) officers. Don't be afraid to report, because the Citizen Report feature is equipped with a privacy by default and privacy by design system, so your report is automatically private and your identity is not known to anyone other than you and the officer.

When reporting, you will be asked to choose a report category. For reports regarding inundation, you can select the Banjir (Flood) category. Meanwhile, for reports related to rubbish in rivers or sewers, select the Saluran Air, Sungai/Kali (Water Channels, Rivers) category. 

Download the Disaster Pocket Book for Further Anticipation

You can take the actions above as a way to prevent flooding. However, floods can also occur due to things that are beyond our control as citizens. When hit by a flood, don't get panic! Long before that happens, you can anticipate by downloading the Disaster Pocket Book issued by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). This book provides general guidelines for your preparedness during disasters, including floods. You can download the Disaster Pocket Book on the BNPB website.

That's how to prevent flooding during the rainy season in Jakarta. Hopefully this can give insightful information for you and help prevent or anticipate flooding. Don't forget to take care of your health during this rainy season.