A man wades through a flooded Jakarta street on Feb. 5. AP PHOTO

As authorities in Jakarta warned of the threat of diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery, anger mounted at the government's response to the floods, which have killed at least 29 people and inundated scores of districts both rich and poor alike since Feb. 2.

"We live in modern times. People should have been warned," said Stefanus Lamury, who lives in a flooded residential area close to the center of the city. "No one should have died because of this."

Soldiers on boats delivered instant noodles and rice to those who were choosing to stay in their homes, refusing to evacuate out of fears looters may target their properties.

Most of those who have fled their homes are staying at mosques, schools or government buildings, sleeping on the floor with little or no access to bathrooms. Communal kitchens have been set up, but many complained of receiving little food.

"I guess this is my fate," said Ponirah, a housewife who has been sleeping in the corridor of her run-down housing complex since Feb. 2. "We are given bread every now and again, but it is not evenly distributed," said Ponirah, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

Authorities estimate that up to half of the city, which covers an area of more than 660 sq. km, was submerged by waters reaching up to 4 meters deep.

The Japan Times Weekly: Feb. 10, 2007
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